Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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682. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to develop a national register in respect of diabetes; and the date on which the national diabetes strategy was amended and-or updated. [14952/23]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Diabetes is a complex condition that can have a profound impact on the quality of life of people living with the condition. If not well managed, it can lead to debilitating complications. Management of the condition is required across the entire spectrum of healthcare delivery including self-management support as well as care delivered through general practice, community specialist care and hospital inpatient specialist care.

Budget 2023 provides funding for a number of initiatives aimed at improving diabetes care, including commencing the development of a National Diabetes Registry.

The development of a National Diabetes Registry will have a long-term benefit on patient care by facilitating benchmarking of individual care against guideline recommendations and QI feedback to practitioners, and on the provision of appropriate health services by providing reliable information to healthcare planners and policymakers.

My Department and HSE National Clinical Programme for Diabetes are currently engaged in preparatory work for phase 1 of this multi-year project.

Guidelines for Diabetes prevention and management include the Model of Integrated Care for Patients with Type 2 Diabetes, the Model of Care for the Diabetic Foot (2021) and the National Clinical Guideline for the Management of Adult Type 1 Diabetes. Guidelines are reviewed and amended in line with the most up to date evidence to support best clinical practice and standardisation of care for diabetes patients.

Furthermore, the National Framework for the Integrated Prevention and Management of Chronic Disease in Ireland 2020-2025, sets out a national framework for an integrated approach to the prevention and management of chronic disease in Ireland over the coming years. This framework was developed in relation to four major chronic diseases including type 2 diabetes. The framework builds on the existing policies and guidelines, with a focus on health promotion, disease prevention, diagnosis, treatment, disease management and rehabilitation services that are coordinated across different healthcare providers and healthcare settings.