20 April 2026 Dear Foysol, Thank you for your email of 7 April 2026 on behalf of one of your constituents with their concerns about funding for diabetes technologies. The Scottish Government remains committed to supporting access to clinically appropriate, safe and effective diabetes care, including the use of technology where this is in line with clinical guidance and individual need. This commitment is set out in the Scottish Government’s Diabetes Improvement Plan, published in 2021 and concluded in March this year. It included a specific focus on expanding access to diabetes technologies. This is reflected in sustained investment since 2016. In total, the Scottish Government has invested over £50 million to support access to diabetes technologies, including £29.6 million between 2016 and 2022, £8.8 million in 2024-25 to expand access to closed loop systems, and £14.6 million in 2025 -26 to support onboarding and to meet the recurring costs of consumables for people using this technology. Current position on Closed Loop Systems Closed Loop Systems are now an established part of diabetes care for people with Type 1 diabetes in Scotland. National clinical guidance, including NICE and SIGN, sets out the expectation that this technology should be offered to people who are likely to benefit from it based on clinical assessment. The Scottish Government funding has supported the expansion of access to closed loop systems over recent years, and funding has now been baselined within NHS Boards’ allocations to ensure that the ongoing costs of consumables for people currently using a closed loop system will continue to be met. In line with this approach, the Scottish Government is not providing further centrally held funding specifically for expansion and is instead focusing on working with NHS Boards to embed closed loop systems as a business as usual part of Type 1 diabetes care.
This includes commissioning a rapid value case to support consideration of future decisions through established NHS Scotland governance arrangements. NHS funding arrangements and accountability Funding for NHS services, including diabetes care and associated technologies, is agreed through the annual budget process and allocated to NHS Boards through established funding mechanisms. Where time limited, targeted funding has been provided in previous years to support national expansion or capacity, this has at times been accompanied by specific announcements. Where funding is incorporated within Boards’ overall allocations, it is managed through routine financial processes and does not typically involve separate ministerial announcements. Decisions on how funding is deployed locally are taken by NHS Boards, working within national policy frameworks, clinical guidance, and professional standards. Boards are expected to ensure that decisions are clinically led and based on individual patient need, rather than cost alone, and to work to minimise unwarranted variation in access across Scotland. Supporting equitable access The Scottish Government continues to work with NHS Boards and national partners to support equitable access to diabetes technologies and to reduce unwarranted variation where possible, including through national clinical networks and support arrangements designed to improve consistency of delivery. Existing users of approved diabetes technologies should continue to receive care based on clinical assessment and need. The Scottish Government recognises ongoing concerns about variation in access and continues to work within available resources and established NHS structures to support people living with diabetes across Scotland. I hope this response addresses the points raised by your constituent and helps clarify the current arrangements for funding and access to diabetes technologies. Yours sincerely, JENNI MINTO
Our college got their MSP @foysolchoudhury.bsky.social to ask about the withdrawal of funding for Diabetes tech this is the shocking response from @jennimintomsp.bsky.social
