Health Services: Screening

Mr. Lansley
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations his Department has received from the National Screening Committee in favour of (a) universal and (b) targeted screening for (i) heart disease, (ii) kidney disease, (iii) stroke and (iv) diabetes.

Ann Keen
The United Kingdom National Screening Committee (UK NSC) recommended to the Department that screening certain subgroups of the population who are at high risk of type 2 diabetes is feasible, but that it should be undertaken as part of a vascular risk management programme in which the whole population should be offered a risk assessment that could include, among other risk factors, measurement of blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose.

The National Service Framework for Kidney Disease in England recommends that people at increased risk of developing or having undiagnosed chronic kidney disease, especially people with diabetes or hypertension are identified, assessed and their condition managed to preserve kidney function.

Following this, the Department is developing detailed proposals for the programme in England and the UK NSC is working with them.