GHP September 2015

ghp September 2015 | 77 health and social care Increase in Diabetes Cases in UK The number of people living with diabetes in the UK has soared by 59.8% in a decade, according to a new analysis by Diabetes UK. The new figures, extracted from official NHS data and analysed by the charity, show that there are now 3,333,069 people diagnosed with diabetes, which is an increase of more than 1.2 million adults compared with ten years ago with figures from 2005 showing that there were 2,086,041 people diagnosed with the condition. These statistics do not take into account the 590,000 adults estimated to have undiagnosed diabetes in 2013-2014. The charity is warning that this exponential growth in numbers reflects an urgent need for effective care for people living with diabetes, as well as highlighting the importance of prevention and that failure to act on this threatens to bring down the NHS. At present only six in ten people with diabetes in England and Wales receive the eight care pro- cesses recommended by the National Institute for Health Care and Excellence (NICE). These are the checks identified as essential in high quality care for people with diabetes and include getting blood pressure and blood glucose levels measured, as well as the kidney function monitored, otherwise poorly managed diabetes can lead to devastating and expensive health complications such as kidney disease, stroke and amputation. Diabetes UK made it clear that it is now critical that the government takes urgent action to ensure that everyone with diabetes receives the eight care processes, reduc- ing their risk of further health complications and the costs these incur for the already strained NHS budget. Barbara Young, Chief Executive of Diabetes UK, com- mented on the alarming figures. “Over the past decade, the number of people living with diabetes in the UK has increased by over 1 mil- lion people, which is the equivalent of the population of a small country such as Cyprus. With a record num- ber of people now living with diabetes in the UK, there is no time to waste – the government must act now. “We need to see more people with diabetes receiving the eight care processes recommended by NICE. It is unacceptable that a third of people living with the condition do not currently get these, putting them at increased risk of developing complications, such as amputations, heart attack or stroke. “Diabetes already costs the NHS nearly £10 billion a year, and 80 per cent of this is spent on managing avoidable complications. So there is huge potential to save money and reduce pressure on NHS hospitals and services through providing better care to prevent people with diabetes from developing devastating and costly complications. “The NHS must prioritise providing better care, along with improved and more flexible education options, for people with diabetes now, and give them the best possible chance of living long and healthy lives. Until then, avoidable human suffering will continue and the costs of treating diabetes will continue to spiral out of control and threaten to bankrupt the NHS. Now is the time for action.”