More investment and effort needed to reduce complications

NHS Diabetes is calling for a concerted approach towards diabetes care across the health service to prevent the complications of the condition.

Director of the diabetes service improvement organisation Anna Morton has made the call on the back of a BBC report.  New figures obtained by the broadcaster revealed estimated 1.3 million diabetes patients were missing out on vital and potentially life-saving health checks – which also prevent complications, including foot amputations and blindness.

Anna Morton said: “A concerted approach towards diabetes care across the NHS is needed to reduce complications for people with diabetes.

“We need primary care to deliver the minimum nine NICE health checks for people with type 2 diabetes during their annual review to pick up complications at an early stage.

“Those with complications should be referred for early assessment by diabetes specialists to prevent progression.

“The management of type 1 diabetes involves considerable experience in insulin use and behavioural change which if not well managed can result in premature death. It requires the involvement of teams specialised in the care of type 1 diabetes.

“Additionally, all people with diabetes in hospital should have access to specialist diabetes inpatient teams to prevent loss of diabetes control and other complications that can arise in hospital.

“The case for more money to be spent on specialist care is clear and compelling. Our research, published in November and also mentioned in the BBC report, showed specialist diabetes inpatient teams can improve outcomes for patients and generate savings that substantially outweigh the cost of such teams."

Health Minister Paul Burstow praised NHS Diabetes on a BBC Radio 4 programme where the story was discussed for supporting commissioners to reduce variation through our comprehensive web resource and expanding network.

To listen to the show which was broadcast on February 21 visit BBC Radio 4.