Report reveals increase in diabetes deaths in the UK
A new report from Diabetes UK has revealed that the number of deaths caused by diabetes has increased by 7,000 in the UK.
The charity has called for urgent action to improve diabetes care after discovering that less than half of patients are receiving life-saving diabetes care and reporting rising death rates. Diabetes UK believes that the increase in deaths is linked to a lack of access to routine diabetes care during the pandemic and backlogs created by lockdowns and restrictions.
Charity representatives have urged the government to take immediate action to stop preventable deaths and ensure that people who have diabetes have access to the relevant checks and assessments. The report highlights gaps in diabetes care, with only 47% of people receiving all eight of the recommended checks in 2021/2022. Almost 2 million people missed out on essential checks.
The report also outlined a growing divide between deprived and more affluent areas, with patients living in poorer parts of the country less likely to be able to access routine tests and appointments. A third of people living in the most deprived communities were unable to access the services they needed.
Chris Askew OBE, chief executive of Diabetes UK, said that routine tests play a vital role in monitoring symptoms and reducing the risk of health complications and diabetes deaths. Too many people in the UK are missing out on potentially vital assessments and checks because the services are under too much pressure. Healthcare workers are stretched and they cannot provide the level of care required. He added that the government needs to act now to prevent more people from dying from diabetes.
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