Quality standard

Quality statement 5: Annual HbA1c tests

Quality statement 5: Annual HbA1c tests

Quality statement

Women diagnosed with gestational diabetes who have negative postnatal testing for diabetes after the birth are offered annual HbA1c testing. [2016, updated 2023]

Rationale

Annual glucose testing for women who previously had gestational diabetes and whose blood glucose levels returned to normal after the birth, can identify changes in glucose levels. This will identify whether the woman is at increased risk of developing or has developed type 2 diabetes. It can also identify the small number of women who have previously undiagnosed type 1 diabetes.

Quality measures

The following measures can be used to assess the quality of care or service provision specified in the statement. They are examples of how the statement can be measured, and can be adapted and used flexibly.

Process

Proportion of women with a record of gestational diabetes and no subsequent diagnosis of diabetes who had a HbA1c test in the previous 12 months.

Numerator – the number in the denominator who had a HbA1c test in the previous 12 months.

Denominator – the number of women who gave birth more than 12 months ago with a record of gestational diabetes and no subsequent diagnosis of diabetes.

Data source: No routinely collected national data for this measure has been identified. Data can be collected from information recorded locally by healthcare professionals and provider organisations, for example, from patient records.

What the quality statement means for different audiences

Service providers (such as GP practices and community and secondary care diabetes services) ensure that systems and pathways are in place for women diagnosed with gestational diabetes, whose blood glucose levels returned to normal after the birth, to have an annual HbA1c test.

Healthcare professionals (such as GPs, practice nurses, midwives and diabetes nurse specialists) ensure that women diagnosed with gestational diabetes, whose blood glucose levels returned to normal after the birth, have an annual HbA1c test.

Commissioners (integrated care systems) ensure that they commission services in which women diagnosed with gestational diabetes, whose blood glucose levels returned to normal after the birth, have an annual HbA1c test.

Women diagnosed with gestational diabetes whose blood glucose levels return to normal after the birth have an annual HbA1c test to check whether they have diabetes.