Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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Question 620: To ask the Minister for Health if he is considering bringing forward a new diabetes strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14991/12]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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There are no plans for a new diabetes strategy. In the meantime work is continuing in order to improve services available for this chronic disease across the health system. The HSE's National Clinical Programme for Diabetes - which includes the care of children and adolescents with diabetes - was established within its Clinical Strategy and Programmes Directorate. The purpose of the Programme is to define the way diabetic clinical services should be delivered, resourced and measured; and a clinician has been appointed to lead on the development of the programme, which has as its central aim to save lives, eyes and limbs of patients with diabetes.

The objectives of the National Diabetes Programme are to develop a National Retinopathy Screening Programme for Diabetes to prevent blindness and visual loss from diabetes; develop a footcare screening and treatment service to prevent foot ulceration and subsequent lower limb amputation; develop an Integrated Care Programme for patients with Type II Diabetes; improve Diabetes control (including paediatrics); develop a National Diabetes Register.

This year's National Service Plan for the HSE contains important developments in relation to diabetic services, including the development of an insulin pump service for children under 5 years of age with diabetes and the commencement, in primary care, of a phased roll-out of chronic disease management for diabetes.