WGPlus (Archive)
| ‘Side effects’ of diabetes can be life-threatening |
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The postcode lottery of diabetes-related amputations in England is getting worse, according to new figures released by Diabetes UK and what is more unacceptable is that the gap between the worst & best performing areas has got bigger. Overall, people with diabetes are over 20 times more likely to have a lower limb amputation than people without the condition. These amputations have a devastating impact, with half of those having them dying within two years. Evidence shows that up to 80% of diabetes-related amputations could be prevented, but Diabetes UK is concerned that, while some hospitals and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) have improved aspects of diabetes foot care in the last 2 years, there are still too many amputations happening because people are not getting the care they need. A CPA report - The management of adult diabetes services in the NHS (Nov. 2012) – found that "24,000 people die prematurely every year because their diabetes has not been managed effectively, and many more develop avoidable complications such as blindness and kidney disease. The NHS spends at least £3.9bn a year on diabetes services and around 80% of that goes on treating avoidable complications. The number of people with diabetes is set to rise from 3.1m to 3.8m between now and 2020 and unless care improves significantly the NHS will face ever-increasing costs”. |
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