Care provided to patients with diabetes is in a ‘state of crisis' a specialist health lawyer has warned.
Referring to the ‘State of the Nation 2012' report from Diabetes UK, Neil fearn, head of clinical negligence at Simpson Millar, said: "'The level of care recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is enjoyed by less than half of people with diabetes.
"That is a worrying statistic, people with diabetes are at much higher risk of amputation, blindness, kidney failure and stroke. It is absolutely vital that the care they receive matches the seriousness of these health threats."
According to Diabetes UK, the increase in diabetes-related conditions is to blame on a lack of regular tests and check-ups.
Key findings by the State of the Nation 2012 report:
- A quarter of children and young people with Type 1 diabetes are only diagnosed when they already need emergency treatment
- 49.8% of people with diabetes are getting the nine basic health checks and services recommended by NICE
- 40% of people with the condition are not meeting their blood glucose targets
- Only 4% of children and young people with diabetes get all their annual checks
