Meetings

Paper 14

10.3a The Committee noted the letter.

The Committee agreed the draft report and its intention to publish it before the summer recess, with a view to holding a debate in plenary in the autumn term.

The Committee considered the evidence received on P-04-682 Routine Screening for Type 1 Diabetes in Children and Young People and agreed to produce a report on the petition.

Vaughan Gething AM, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services

Chris Jones, Deputy Director, Healthcare Quality Division

The Committee heard evidence from the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services and Chris Jones, Welsh Government.

The Committee considered the responses from the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services, local health boards and professional bodies, and agreed to invite the Cabinet Secretary to a future Committee meeting to provide further evidence prior to producing a report on the petition.

Members considered the evidence session and agreed to:

• invite the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport to give oral evidence at a meeting early in the Autumn term; and
• write to the Local Health Boards and professional bodies to seek more detailed information particularly about diagnosis and care in primary care settings.

Beth Baldwin, Petitioner

Sara Moran, Diabetes UK Cymru

Libby Dowling, Diabetes UK

The Chair and Members of the Committee thanked Beth Baldwin, commending her courage for bringing forward the petition and offered their sincere condolences on the loss of her son Peter.

Beth Baldwin, Sara Moran and Libby Dowling answered questions from the Committee.

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition from the Welsh Government and health boards, and agreed to invite the petitioners and Diabetes UK Cymru to give oral evidence to the Committee on the petition and the information received to date.

The Committee considered correspondence from Diabetes UK Cymru, the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee and the petitioner and agreed to write to:

• the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Social Care and Sport to request that he considers meeting with the petitioners; and
• all Local Health Boards to request more information on their diagnosis and referral pathways.

5.2a The Committee noted the letter from the Children and Young People Wales Diabetes Network regarding routine screening for Type 1 Diabetes in children.

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to:

• obtain additional evidence from Diabetes UK Cymru;
• await any response that the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee receives from the Children and Young People’s Wales Diabetes Network; and
• use these as the basis for a further letter to the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Sport.

6.1 The Committee undertook further consideration of Petition P-04-682 and agreed to write to the Children and Young People’s Wales Diabetes Network to seek up to date information on action to improve outcomes for children and young people with Type 1 diabetes in Wales. The Committee agreed that the response from the Network could inform a letter to the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport.

6.2 The Committee also noted a study currently underway in Germany into whether a screening programme for Type 1 diabetes is feasible across a large population, and agreed to undertake a short inquiry to review the outcomes of the study when it concludes in 2017.

10.1 The Committee discussed the correspondence from the Chair of the Petitions Committee and asked for some additional background information from the Research Service before considering the matter further at a later meeting.

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and:

·         noted that the Minister has undertaken to write to the Committee again once he has received advice from the all-Wales paediatric diabetes network:

·         agreed to write to the Minister to ask why he had reached the conclusion that “Prompt diagnosis once an individual shows signs of type 1 diabetes is a more effective approach” and also to ask whether he or his officials would be prepared to meet with the petitioner;

·         agreed to request a research paper on the approach of each health board to testing for type 1 diabetes amongst children and young people; and

·         agreed to ask the incoming Health Committee if they would consider including this issue on its forward work programme for the 5^th Assembly.