The numbers of finished admission episodes with an emergency admission of diabetes, from the ages of 0 to 17 years, by hospital provider, have been placed in the Library.

The total count of finished admission episodes for 2010-11, was 7,164 and 2011-12 was 6,871, this is not a count of people as the same person may have been admitted on more than one occasion.

The standard of diagnosis coding in accident and emergency Hospital Episode Statistics data means that we are unable to provide a count of accident and emergency attendances for diabetes.

Public Health England will as of 1 April 2013, assume responsibility for all public health observatories in England. Yorkshire and Humber Public Health Observatory will continue to lead on diabetes and has published a diabetes prevalence model, which can be accessed by all local authorities in England.

Data on incidence of Type 2 diabetes are collected by the National Diabetes Audit and via the Quality and Outcomes Framework and published annually.

Erectile dysfunction is covered in the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence Clinical Guidelines for Type 2 diabetes. In this guideline it is recommended that health care professionals review the issue of erectile dysfunction annually and that they provide assessment and education for men with erectile dysfunction to address contributory factors and discuss treatment options.

Currently data are not collected on the incidence of erectile dysfunction in Type 2 diabetics or the compliance of healthcare professionals with the clinical guideline. However, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence recently consulted on two potential new indicators for diabetes which would collect this data and they are currently being considered for inclusion in the 2013-14 Quality and Outcomes Framework.

Eligible people between the ages of 40-74 are offered the NHS Health Check. This programme, expected to reach some 15 million people, is a risk assessment and risk management programme for vascular disease and as such it will also identify those at high risk of diabetes.

According to the evidence base used to develop the programme, the NHS Health Check has the potential to detect at least 20,000 cases of diabetes or kidney disease earlier, improving their health outcomes. It could also prevent 4,000 people a year from developing diabetes by offering appropriate lifestyle advice.

The NHS Health Check programme has been running since 2009, with phased implementation. The programme is a key performance measure in the NHS Operating Framework for 2012-13, and take-up by the eligible population is an indicator in the Public Health Outcome Framework. It has been mandated to local authorities from April 2013.

The Department for Education has produced Medical Conditions at School: A Policy Resource Pack to complement its guidance Managing Medicines in Schools and Early Years Settings.

We want relevant school staff to be competent in managing pupils' health needs, and to feel confident in doing so. Schools should ensure that staff understand the school's responsibilities, have appropriate training and are able to access continuing support. Paediatric diabetes specialist nurses from local health services are able to give guidance and training on care of children with diabetes in the school environment for staff and pupils.

We also welcome the resources produced by the Medical Conditions at School Partnership, of which Diabetes UK and Epilepsy Action are members.

The Diabetes UK website holds specialist advice about pupils with type 1 diabetes to help schools and school healthcare professionals to support such pupils. Diabetes UK has information on diabetes in school, which discusses insulin injections, diet, snacks, hypoglycaemia reaction and how to treat it. It contains a downloadable version of its school pack, Children with D iabetes at S chool—What all S taff N eed to K now. Copies of this can also be ordered from Diabetes UK Distribution, telephone 0800 585088. Further information is available from Diabetes UK care line, telephone 0845 120 2960 (Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 5.00pm) or on the Diabetes UK website.

Epilepsy Action (British Epilepsy Association) has specific information for education professionals on its website. This looks at classroom first aid, emergency care, medication and school activities. Further information is available from the freephone helpline on 0808 800 5050 (Monday to Thursday, 9.00 am to 4.30 pm, Friday 9.00 am to 4.00 pm) or via email enquiry form. Epilepsy Action recommends that all pupils with epilepsy should have an individual healthcare plan, even if their seizures are well controlled and that general awareness training to help school staff understand epilepsy and specific training on the administration of medication are provided if staff are to feel properly equipped to support pupils with epilepsy.

Spend on research funded directly by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) in 2010-11 and 2011-12 in the Health Research Classification System health categories is shown in the table. These figures do not take account of NIHR expenditure on research infrastructure and systems where spend cannot be attributed to health categories.

Expenditure by the NIHR through research programmes, research centres and units, and research training awards on research on type 1 and type 2 diabetes is shown in the following table.

Total spend by the NIHR on research on type one and type two diabetes is higher than this because expenditure by the NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) on these topics cannot be disaggregated from total CRN expenditure.

The Department has no plans to assess the adequacy of research funding for type 1 diabetes.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommends that structured education about diabetes and treatment of diabetes emergencies should be offered to carers as well as patients. Education is usually made available through local health services diabetes education programmes. There are a number of national and locally developed patient education programmes including structured courses such as DAFNE for Type 1 diabetes (dose adjustment for normal eating), and DESMOND for Type 2 diabetes (diabetes education and self management for ongoing and newly diagnosed), plus a range of tools and guidance to help local services choose the best programmes to meet the needs of their local population.

Health communities and charities have also developed a number of regional and minority community schemes to improve awareness about diabetes, particularly targeting those at increased risk. Examples of good practice include:

the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Collaboration for Leadership in applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) for North West London supported an initiative to raise awareness of diabetes prevention strategies and signpost those with diabetes to appropriate services. Diabetes Service Users Groups in Hammersmith and Fulham and Harrow worked to identify over 20 diabetes champions reflecting the makeup of the local community target key groups who were trained to raise awareness about diabetes in their local community and localities with a range of engagement techniques; for example, coffee mornings and informal talks. They worked with those who traditionally have poor access to health messages to share key health messages—for example, refugee—to bring about increased knowledge and awareness and appropriate behaviour changes. Sessions were run in community languages; for example, Somali and Arabic. Over 18 months, more than 3,000 people were reached at more than 150 events. Evaluation showed real changes in knowledge of risk factors and change in physical activity;

since 2008, Leicester primary care trust has employed Gypsy and Traveller community members on a sessional basis to act as health ambassadors between the National Health Service and local communities. Over 30 health ambassadors, who are all volunteers, have attended training sessions alongside health professionals. The ambassadors have helped health professionals locally to understand the culture and needs of Gypsy and Traveller communities, suggested new ways of increasing awareness in their own communities, and take key health messages back to their own communities;

Diabetes UK, in association with Travellers' Times and the Rural Media company, have produced an audio CD and an accompanying illustrated booklet, Don't leave it too late, to raise awareness of the seriousness of diabetes and the importance of acting early to reduce the risk of developing complications for the Gypsy Roma and Traveller communities. The seven audio files and booklet can be downloaded from DiabetesUK website: www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/Introduction-to-diabetes/Diabetes---A-guide-for-Gypsies-Roma-and-Travellers/ or a CD can be ordered from DiabetesUK;

the South Asian Health Foundation educates South Asian communities across the nation about diabetes; and

Silver STAR (Screen Those At Risk), a Leicester-based charity that raises awareness about diabetes and performs diabetes screening, targets high risk groups in the city that are hard to reach, including its South Asian community.

When chronic, both conditions are associated with diabetes mellitus. Local National Health Service organisations are responsible for providing

comprehensive, high-quality and safe diabetes services appropriate to their local populations, including providing information and education to people with diabetes about their condition and how to manage it. There are a number of useful and effective education and self-help programmes around England for patients to join.

We encourage everyone diagnosed with diabetes to ask for and receive structured education and support as part of their care.

The current number of diabetic specialist nurses employed by the national health service is not collected centrally. The annual work force census does not separately identify specialist nurses.

The Government consider that diabetes specialist nurses are an essential part of the diabetes specialist team and have a valuable part to play in supporting people with diabetes. It is local health care organisations, with their knowledge of the health care needs of their local populations, that are best placed to determine the work force required to deliver safe patient care within their available resources.

The national health service reforms present an opportunity for stronger, closer partnership working between the new primary care commissioners and secondary care specialists, ensuring that evidence-based multi-disciplinary care is commissioned and is focused on the needs of the individual patient.