Tom Gordon

My hon. Friend is a passionate advocate of diabetes awareness. I completely agree that we need to do more to raise those symptoms with the general public. Everyone knows the key signs of some health conditions—heart attacks or strokes, perhaps—but sadly, type 1 diabetes is not one of those. We can do more in the House to put the issue at the front of the public’s mind; I am optimistic that we can do that across parties, given the diversity of colleagues in this Chamber. Screening offers enormous potential. It will allow families and clinicians to monitor the condition closely, prepare for treatment and, we hope, avoid the trauma of an emergency diagnosis. I turn to some personal experience. When I was just 13, we were on a family holiday in Turkey. My little sister, who was nine at the time, collapsed by the pool. People do not often think much of it if a growing child loses and gains weight or is thirsty, particularly when abroad in severe heat. My mum had no idea that my sister was a type 1 diabetic; only when she collapsed by the side of a pool and was rushed and blue-lighted to hospital in Turkey did we find out that she was critically unwell and experiencing DKA. I will never forget that holiday. Fortunately for my sister, everything turned out okay. We got her back to the UK and got her the support that she needed, but it was an incredibly frightening experience for our family and a stark introduction to how suddenly type 1 diabetes can present when it goes undetected. That is one of the reasons why this issue matters deeply to me, and part of the reason why I went on to study biochemistry and a master’s in public health. What can we do? I will turn to what should happen next, but first I encourage any colleagues in the Chamber who are not already members of the APPG for diabetes to join. I want to press the Minister about a number of areas: first, on awareness of the four Ts, which we have already heard about but needs strengthening across the health system. Training for healthcare professionals, in particular those who work in primary care, should ensure that symptoms of type 1 diabetes are recognised immediately and acted on. Secondly, finger-prick blood-glucose testing should be standard practice whenever a patient presents with symptoms suggestive of type 1 diabetes. NICE guidance should make that expectation explicit, not simply implied. Thirdly, every GP practice should have the equipment ready to carry out such tests quickly and with confidence. Fourthly, awareness—including of the four Ts—should extend beyond the healthcare system to the personal child health record, or red book, and digital resources for parents, which would help families recognise those warning signs and seek testing earlier. Fifthly, there should be stronger oversight to ensure that learning takes place when diagnoses are missed, including a clearer role for the Care Quality Commission and national improvement initiatives, too. Finally, the NHS should continue to explore what role screening programmes could play in future. Research under way, such as that of the ELSA study, will be crucial in building the evidence needed to support any future national screening programme. Type 1 diabetes cannot currently be cured, but deaths from undiagnosed type 1 are preventable. Through better awareness, faster testing and continued research, we can ensure that fewer families experience the trauma of delayed diagnosis. If we ended up with a Lyla’s law, we would be honouring the memory of children such as Lyla and the determination of family members such as John, who are campaigning so powerfully for this change.