Response to State of the Nation Report by Diabetes UK
Jenny Hirst, Co-Chair of Independent Diabetes Trust, responds to State of the Nation Report by Diabetes UK:
The report by Diabetes UK, State of the Nation, highlights statistics drawn from various surveys and audits already published, which show that standards of care for people with diabetes are not improving.
It claims that the care model is not appropriate, is responsible for the lack of improvement and that diabetes care does not need more funds but the NHS needs to spend them differently. In contrast, Dr Jonahan Valabhji pointed out on Today, BBC Radio 4, that for individuals with diabetes, the delivery and outcomes have actually improved.
Surely the situation is straightforward. Over the last few years, the care of people with diabetes has largely been moved from secondary care to primary care and at the same time, there has been a huge rise in the numbers diagnosed, especially with Type 2 diabetes. However, the resources to deal with these changes have not been allocated to GP practices in terms of their staffing levels and diabetes education of the health professionals involved. Equally there is a shortage of dietitians and podiatrists to advise and treat the increasing numbers of people with diabetes.
More resources are needed and these do cost money. At the same time there is a need for Public Health England to develop and ensure implementation of a prevention programme for Type 2 diabetes. This again costs money, so our view is that more funds and resources, in terms of trained staff, are essential to improve the care and treatment of people with diabetes.
To read more on IDDT's stance, see: Young diabetics ‘get worse care’
