e-petition 728677 relating to type 1 diabetes testing for infants
There will be a Westminster hall debate on a petition on testing for type 1 diabetes in infants on Monday 9 March at 6pm. This debate will be led by Irene Campbell MP.
e-petition 728677 calls for the government to fund testing for type 1 diabetes for all babies, toddlers and young children as a routine part of medical assessments “at the point of care”.
The government provided a response to the petition on 17 July 2025. It said there is insufficient evidence to support routine mandatory testing for type 1 diabetes in babies, toddlers and young children, and that it has no plans to introduce this at the current time.
What is diabetes?Diabetes is a condition where the level of sugar in the blood becomes too high. There are several types of diabetes, the two main ones are:
- Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune condition where the body does not produce enough insulin, a hormone which controls the level of sugar in the blood. It often starts in children and young adults, but it can happen at any age. Type 1 diabetes is managed with lifelong insulin replacement treatment.
- Type 2 diabetes, a condition that occurs when not enough insulin is produced by the pancreas, or the cells in the body become resistant to it. This causes the level of sugar in a person’s blood to become too high. Type 2 diabetes can be treated with diet and exercise, but medication and insulin may also be needed.
There is not currently a national screening programme in England for type 1 diabetes.
If a GP thinks a child could have diabetes, they will do a finger-prick test to check for high blood glucose. They may also test a sample of urine.
If the test shows a child might have type 1 diabetes, they will be referred to a specialist in hospital for treatment and more tests. This usually happens on the same day.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidanceThe National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published its quality standard on diabetes in children and young people (QS 125) in July 2016, and last updated it in March 2022. NICE has also published guidelines on the diagnosis and management of diabetes in children and young people (NG18, last updated May 2023). These say that children and young people with suspected type 1 diabetes should be referred immediately (on the same day) to a multidisciplinary paediatric diabetes team with the competencies needed to confirm diagnosis and provide immediate care (see section 1.1.2 of the guideline).
It is not mandatory to apply the quality standards in the NICE guidelines, although it is considered best practice.
ResearchA study called ELSA (EarLy Surveillance for Autoimmune diabetes), that was launched in 2022, is exploring the feasibility and benefits of screening in children aged 3 to 13. The study is funded by two charities Diabetes UK and Breakthrough T1D, led by the University of Birmingham and delivered by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NIHR).
In its response to e-petition 728677 in July 2025, the government mentioned the ELSA study. It said:
NHS England is working closely with researchers and leading experts in this field to ensure that emerging evidence is considered in the development of future national guidance and is reviewed ahead of further decisions on the availability of screening.
Over 17,000 children, aged 3-13 years, have been screened as part of the study and it published its results from the first phase in January 2026. The findings show that:
- 75 children had one autoantibody (antibodies that mistakenly attack healthy cells in the body), signalling increased future risk of type 1 diabetes
- 160 children had two or more autoantibodies but did not yet require insulin therapy, indicating early-stage type 1 diabetes
- 7 children were found to have undiagnosed type 1 diabetes, with all needing to start taking insulin immediately.
Diabetes UK has said “Crucially, ELSA also revealed that families are happy to take part in type 1 diabetes screening … Taken together, the findings show that a type 1 diabetes autoantibody childhood screening programme is workable in the real world.”
The next phase of the ELSA study will screen children aged 2-17 and has opened.
UK National Screening CommitteeNational screening programmes are introduced based on the recommendations of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent scientific advisory committee.
In its 2024 annual call for proposals for screening programmes, the UK NSC received a proposal to screen for neonatal diabetes in newborns. It conducted an evidence-mapping exercise and concluded at that time there was not sufficient evidence to recommend screening for this condition.
Parliamentary materialDiabetes: Children
6 February 2026 | UIN 110674
Asked by: Cameron Thomas
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of the preliminary findings of the ELSA Study that screens children for Type 1 diabetes.
Answering member: Ashley Dalton | Department: Department of Health and Social Care
The Government is guided by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent scientific advisory committee which makes its recommendations based on internationally recognised criteria and a rigorous evidence review and consultation process. It is only where the committee is confident that screening would provide more good than harm that a screening programme is recommended, as all medical interventions carry an inherent risk.
The UK NSC is aware of the ELSA study and looks forward to receiving the results of this study when the trial is complete.
Diabetes: Children
27 January 2026 | UIN 106796
Asked by: Dr Al Pinkerton
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what consideration he has given to improving information for parents and carers on the early symptoms of Type 1 Diabetes in young children.
Answering member: Ashley Dalton | Department: Department of Health and Social Care
The National Health Service publishes information for patients and the public to support the understanding of the four key symptoms of type 1 diabetes. These are known as the four Ts: toilet, or frequent urination; thirsty, or constant thirst; tired, or low energy; and thinner, or unexplained weight loss. Further information on the symptoms is available at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/type-1-diabetes/symptoms/
NHS England also hosts information provided by Diabetes UK about the symptoms of type 1 diabetes, which is available at the following link:
NHS England is undertaking a review of options for improving information for parents and carers on the early symptoms of type 1 diabetes in young children and this will include engagement with relevant national organisations and partners.
Diabetes: Children
9 December 2025 | UIN 95674
Asked by: Melanie Onn
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of potential merits of introducing routine finger-prick blood glucose testing or urine testing for children who display one or more recognised symptoms of Type 1 diabetes.
Answering member: Ashley Dalton | Department: Department of Health and Social Care
A national task and finish group has been established by NHS England which brings together key experts from across the health system, including academia/research and leading national clinicians, to jointly assess the opportunities and challenges that are associated with a national screening programme for diabetes and to inform future national policy.
Through our National Institute for Health and Care Research, we have supported the establishment of the Early Surveillance for Autoimmune diabetes, or “ELSA” study. This study is exploring the feasibility and benefits of screening for type 1 diabetes.
Diabetes: Children and Young People
19 November 2025 | UIN 87793
Asked by: Suella Braverman
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that general practitioners receive training on recognising symptoms of Type 1 diabetes in children and young people.
Answering member: Ashley Dalton | Department: Department of Health and Social Care
The National Health Service has publicly accessible information on its website about the signs and symptoms of type 1 diabetes, available at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/type-1-diabetes/symptoms/
The DigiBete app, launched in June 2020, provides a wide range of clinically approved, age-appropriate resources to help with the self-management and awareness of type 1 diabetes, with further information available at the following link:
https://www.digibete.org/type-1-awareness/
It is the responsibility of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to provide guidance and quality standards for the treatment and care of diabetes in England. The NICE NG18 guideline for type 1 and 2 diabetes provides clinical guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment, and care of children and young people.
NG18 recommends that children and young people with suspected type 1 diabetes are referred immediately, on the same day, to a multidisciplinary paediatric diabetes team with the competencies needed to confirm diagnosis and provide immediate care.
Diabetes: Diagnosis
19 November 2025 | UIN 86316
Asked by: Dr Luke Evans
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he will have discussions with (a) the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and (b) NHS England on the applicability of current guidance to assist medical professionals to recognise type 1 diabetes in (i) babies (ii) toddlers (iii) children and (iv) adolescents at the point of care.
Answering member: Ashley Dalton | Department: Department of Health and Social Care
This is a matter for National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as the independent body responsible for providing guidance and quality standards on the treatment and care of diabetes in England. NICE has an established prioritisation process for the identification of priorities for guidance development.
NHS England has published a RightCare toolkit which sets out what good quality diabetes care looks like for children and young adults and includes guidance on timely and accurate diagnosis.
Press materialThe Diabetes Times, People with type 1 diabetes urged to invite MPs to parliamentary debate on mandatory testing for children (23 February 2026)
Diabetes UK, National childhood type 1 screening is effective and could prevent thousands of emergency diagnoses (21 January 2026)
University of Exeter, Predicting who will develop type 1 diabetes easier and cheaper thanks to new calculator (2 December 2025)
BBC News, Scientists discover why type 1 diabetes is worse in children (13 November 2025)
Diabetes UK, Three existing drugs show promise to slow type 1 diabetes in people newly diagnosed (30 September 2025)
Diabetes UK, National registry launched to transform care for people at risk of type 1 diabetes (10 September 2025)
Diabetes UK, 86% of people with type 1 and 75% of people with type 2 experience judgement for their condition (11 August 2025)
Diabetes UK, The silent start of type 1 diabetes (16 June 2025)
Further readingNICE guidance on diabetes (type 1 and type 2) in children and young people: diagnosis and management (NG18, last updated May 2023)
Diabetes - Causes, symptoms & treatments (British Heart Foundation)
IDF Diabetes Atlas | Global Diabetes Data & Statistics (International Diabetes Foundation)