I think we have a car crash coming!
If the current spell of rainy weather was not gloomy enough, the BBC has today revealed more wasteful spending in the NHS. This time it is about the money the NHS spends on diabetes every year, a staggering £9.8 billion! According to the recently published research commissioned by three charities (Diabetes UK, JDRF and Sanofi diabetes), as much as four-fifths of this sum goes on treating complications which could be avoided.
Experts criticise the NHS for:
1. Not doing enough to provide regular health checks for patients suffering from or at risk of developing type 2 (diet-related) diabetes;
2. Failing to educate people on the benefits of eating well and being more active.
Baroness Young, Chief Executive of Diabetes UK is also of the view that good risk assessment and early diagnosis is important to prevent spending on avoidable complications.
There are 3.8 million people living with diabetes in the UK and the complications of diabetes, especially type 2 diabetes, are very serious and include kidney failure, nerve damage, damage to the retina, stroke and cardiovascular disease.
As if things could not be any bleaker, the study also predicts that by 2035, diabetes will cost the NHS £16.8bn, 17% of its entire budget.
To quote Baroness Young: “I think we have a car crash coming”!
