NHS spends 3 billion in ‘avoidable’ treatments for diabetes each year – The Telegraph

The unnecessary cost of diabetes has been revealed by a new study which found 10 per cent of the NHS hospital budget is being spent on avoidable treatment.

Approximately 3 billion a year may be going towards care that may have been avoided if patients and doctors had managed symptoms better, the analysis found.

It suggests that nearly four in ten diabetics are unable to keep on top of their blood-glucose levels, prompting emergency visits to hospital, as well as long and costly complications when being treated for other conditions.

On average, people with Type 2 diabetes - which is linked to obesity - need care costing over twice as much - 1,291 per person per year - as people without diabetes - 510 - an the 2017/18. Meanwhile with Type 1 diabetes, which usually develops in childhood, require six times more hospital treatment, at 3,035 per person per year.

The findings are being presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) annual meeting in Barcelona.

Researchers analysed data on planned care as well as A&E visits, emergency hospital admissions and outpatient visits for 58 million people including 2.9 million with Type 2 diabetes and 243,000 with Type 1.

Overall, the NHS in England spent around 5.5 billion on hospital care for people with diabetes, of which an estimated 3 billion could potentially have been avoided, the team said.

They say this represents almost 10 per cent of the NHS hospital budget.

Read more from the original source:
NHS spends 3 billion in 'avoidable' treatments for diabetes each year - The Telegraph