Poor diabetes care may be responsible for 7,000 excess deaths

A new charity report suggests that delayed health checks among people with diabetes may have contributed to 7,000 more deaths than usual in England last year.

The routine checks help cut the risk of serious complications like heart attacks and amputations, and Diabetes UK says too many people are still being “left to go it alone” when managing their challenging condition.

NHS England said returning routine care to pre-pandemic levels was a key priority and added that local areas had been given £36m to help restore diabetes services.

There are currently more than five million people in the UK living with diabetes, but around 1.9 million missed out on routine vital checks in 2021-22, according to Diabetes UK.

The charity is calling on the government to draw up plans to tackle the backlog in care, reduce health inequalities and provide more support to help prevent people developing type 2 diabetes.

A spokesperson from the Department of Health and Social Care said the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme was the largest of its kind in the world and had helped more than 18,000 people avoid type 2 diabetes through expert advice on healthy eating and exercise.

Chris Askew, chief executive of Diabetes UK, said diabetes was “relentless” and people living with it need close monitoring and support by healthcare professionals.

He added “Yet far too many people with diabetes are being left to go it alone managing this challenging and potentially fatal condition, with deeply alarming numbers of checks either missed or delayed.”

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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (jacquelinevance@chadlaw.co.uk), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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