Management of adult diabetes services in the NHS: progress review inquiry
Closed
What the inquiry looked at
“When the Committee reported on adult diabetes services in 2012 it found that "progress in delivering the recommended standards of care and in achieving treatment targets has been depressingly poor. There is no strong national leadership, no effective accountability arrangements for commissioners, and no appropriate performance incentives for providers." The percentage of the adult population in England with diabetes has more than doubled between 1996–97 and 2013–14. Since 2012, the number of adults with diagnosed diabetes has, on average, increased by 4.8% a year. The number of people with diabetes is expected to rise to 4.2 million people by 2030, affecting almost 9% of the population. The estimated cost of diabetes to the NHS in England in 2010–11 was £5.6 billion, 69% of which was the cost of complications, such as amputation, blindness, kidney failure and stroke. NHS performance in delivering the nine recommended care processes in the National Service Framework for Diabetes has not improved since the Committee reported on diabetes services in 2012. There are still 22,000 people estimated to be dying each year from diabetes-related causes that could potentially be avoided. The Committee is concerned that performance in delivering key care processes and achieving treatment standards is no longer improving. This inquiry challenges the Department of Health, the NHS and Public Health England on the lack of progress in improving patient care and support.”
The committee's words, from the inquiry page on parliament.uk ↗.
What it found
Since the previous Committee of Public Accounts reported in 2012, the Department of Health and NHS England have made progress in improving outcomes for diabetes patients. International evidence now available also suggests that the UK performs well compared to other countries in terms of outcomes for diabetes patients. However, there are significant variations in the routine care and support that diabetes patients receive, and in outcomes for diabetes patients. We are concerned that the witnesses from the Department and NHS England painted an unduly healthy picture of the state of diabetes services in England. Although an individual diabetes patient’s prospects are getting better, the number of people with diabetes is rising by 4.8% a year, and performance in delivering the nine care processes and achieving the three treatment standards, which help to minimise the risk of diabetes patients developing complications in the future, has stalled. In addition, very few new diabetes patients are taking up education that could help them manage their condition, and the number of diabetes patients experiencing complications (which account for over two-thirds of the cost of diabetes to the NHS) continues to rise. This all means that the costs of diabetes to the NHS will continue to rise. In order to control these costs, the Department and NHS must take significant action to improve prevention and treatment for diabetes patients in the next couple of years.
What the government said
No government response is linked to this report.
How the inquiry ran
Each dot is a dated item listed on this page, from the inquiry's opening on 26 October 2015 to 12 December 2016.
- Oral evidence 16 Nov 2015
- Report 22 Jan 2016
- Correspondence 12 Dec 2016
What it recommended
The committee's recommendations are not listed here yet. Read them in 17th Report - Management of adult diabetes services in the NHS: progress review ↗ on parliament.uk.
Evidence
Oral evidence sessions 1
- 16 Nov 2015No witnesses recordedparliament.uk ↗