‘Lives at risk’ in diabetes care meltdown after the pandemic
LIVES will be lost unless urgent action is taken to restore diabetes services lost during the pandemic, a charity warns.
Diabetes UK says people living with the condition were “pushed to the back of the queue” in the coronavirus crisis and a national plan is needed to catch up on delayed care.
Its survey of more than 10,000 people with the condition found just under half experienced difficulties managing it last year. Of those, 63 per cent said this was partly due to not having enough access to their healthcare team – the figure rose to 71 per cent in the most deprived areas.
NHS data shows just 36 per cent of people with diabetes in England had all their recommended checks in 2020/21, down from 57 per cent in
the previous 12 months. Chris Askew, chief executive of Diabetes UK, said: “If people with diabetes cannot receive the care they need, they can risk devastating, life-altering complications and, sadly, early death.
“The impacts on care for people living with diabetes have been vast. While the Government has been focused on cutting waiting lists for operations and other planned care, people with diabetes have been pushed to the back of the queue.”
There are 4.9 million people living with the condition in the UK.
It can lead to complications including serious foot problems – around 185 leg, foot or toe amputations are carried out each week as a result. Other dangers include eye problems, higher risk of heart attack or stroke, nerve damage and gum disease.
Sufferers are meant to have regular checks including blood sugar measurements, foot checks and blood pressure monitoring to catch complications early. But Diabetes UK said there had been a “lack of priority and urgency given to recovering diabetes care” after the Covid disruption.
Its poll found one in six had not had contact with a diabetes healthcare team since before the pandemic.
Mr Askew added: “Urgent action is now required. We need to get this essential, life-saving care back on track, or lives will be needlessly lost.”
A NHS spokesman said: “The NHS is providing £36million to local areas to recover services and improve the lives of people living with or at risk of diabetes.”