Every year, up to 7,000 Britons die unnecessarily from diabetes
- Diabetes UK found there were 1.9 million missed health checks in 2020/2021
- Excess mortality in January to March this year was three times higher than in 2022
Thousands of people die from diabetes every year after care disruptions lead to nearly 2 million missed health checks and appointments.
A report found that there have been 7,000 excess deaths per year related to the condition since the pandemic – a 13 percent increase.
Analysis by Diabetes UK found 1.9 million missed health checks in 2020/21, which are essential to avoiding complications of the condition.
It said the worsening picture was “deeply alarming”, with 1,461 extra deaths between January and March this year – three times the same period in 2022.
People with diabetes should have a series of checks, including blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar.
Diabetes is now a ‘rapidly escalating crisis’ in the UK as the number of people with the condition is said to have surpassed five million for the first time. According to the latest figures for the UK, in 2021/22 nearly 4.3 million people were living with diabetes and a further 850,000 people have diabetes and are completely unaware of it. Untreated type 2 diabetes can lead to complications, including heart disease and stroke
But disruptions caused by the pandemic and subsequent strikes have left many patients “going it alone.”
The charity is calling for urgent action to tackle the care backlog and prevent more avoidable deaths.
A survey of more than 11,000 people with diabetes in England found that by 2022, nearly half (48 per cent) would have difficulty managing their condition.
Less than half (47 percent) received all eight of their required checks in 2021-2022, meaning 1.9 million people were not getting the care they needed – 300,000 fewer than in 2019/20.
There was also wide regional variation, with only a quarter of people in the worst-performing areas getting all the checks, compared to nearly two-thirds (63 percent) in the best-performing areas.
At the primary care level, the variation was even greater, ranging from 10 percent in the worst performers to 86 percent in the best performers.
The report comes after it was revealed that the number of diabetes cases in the UK may have passed 5 million for the first time.
According to figures, nearly 4.3 million people were living with diabetes in 2021-2022, while another 850,000 people were living with the condition but not knowing they had it.
Chris Askew, Chief Executive of Diabetes UK, said more needs to be done to ensure people receive potentially life-saving routine care.
He said: ‘Diabetes is relentless and people with diabetes need the close support and monitoring of healthcare professionals. This routine care can be life-saving and help prevent other serious complications, such as amputations, strokes, and heart disease.
“Yet far too many people with diabetes are left to manage this challenging and potentially deadly condition on their own, with a very alarming rate of missed or delayed checkups.”