NHS TRUSTS 'LACKING DIABETES PLAN'

More than one million people with diabetes in England are not getting the NHS services they need, putting them at risk of strokes, heart disease and blindness, a report from Diabetes UK said.

Half way through the Government's 10-year plan to improve diabetes care, only one in 20 primary care trusts (PCTs) has a specific strategy for preventing Type 2 diabetes and obesity - despite prevention being a key objective of the plan.

The report found the number of PCTs with an early identification programme for diabetes had fallen from 60% in 2006 to 57% in 2007.

This is despite the fact around 500,000 people in England do not know they have the diabetes, which puts them at increased risk of life-threatening complications.

The Government launched its National Service Framework (NSF) for diabetes in 2003. The plan states sufferers should receive support to help them "adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle".

But the Diabetes UK report revealed that only 27% of the 1.9 million sufferers in England accessed the full range of diabetes care services last year.

The study also found that only 38% of PCTs provide emotional and psychological support to adults with diabetes, which the charity believes is vital to help patients manage their condition at home.

Health minister, Ann Keen, said the Government would publish a report into progress made towards the NSF's goals in the summer.

She said: "The NHS has made good progress against our ten year plan to improve care for diabetes sufferers. The number of people getting the key tests and measurements to help prevent or delay the complications of diabetes is rising year on year and in the last two years alone we have identified an extra 200,000 people with undiagnosed diabetes."