The NHS in the Isle of Wight is spending £318,000 more on Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes prescriptions than it did three years ago, new NHS figures reveal.
The area’s clinical commissioning group spent £2.77 million on prescribing medicines for the condition between April 2017 and March 2018.
In 2014-15, prescriptions cost £2.45 million.
Diabetes drugs accounted for a tenth of money spent on prescriptions in the Isle of Wight.
The charity Diabetes UK said the increasing expenditure on prescriptions was due to the rising number of diabetics.
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a chronic disease in which the body either cannot produce insulin or cannot properly use it.
If not controlled, it can lead to heart attacks and strokes, and problems with the kidneys, eyes, feet and nerves.
Overall, the NHS paid for 145,000 prescriptions for Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes on the Isle of Wight, for around 8,723 diabetic patients.
In 2014-15, 9,000 fewer prescriptions were issued.
Type 1 and Type 2
Nationally, more than 90% of people dealing diabetes have Type 2, which in some cases can be managed with physical activity or planning meals.
Type 1 is always treated with insulin, although meal planning can also help to keep sugar at the right level.
The data also revealed that the NHS spent £1.14 million on insulin in the Isle of Wight. Devices to monitor diabetic patients’ health, like glucose monitors or fitness trackers, cost £640,000.
Numbers doubled in last 20 years
Robin Hewings, head of policy at the charity Diabetes UK, said:
“The number of people diagnosed with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes has doubled in the last 20 years, so it’s no surprise that the cost of medications has increased.
“The number of diabetes-related amputations in England is now at an all-time high, with more than 8,500 procedures being carried out each year. This equates to 24 minor and major amputations per day, or more than 160 a week.
“As well as helping people reduce their risk of diabetes through the NHS’s diabetes prevention programme, we should focus on spending more money now on helping people manage their diabetes well.”
There are now more than three million people in England with diabetes.
NHS: Prevention of Type 2 possible
Professor Jonathan Valabhji, national clinical director for diabetes and obesity of NHS England, said:
“Thanks to better diagnosis and treatment, the NHS is caring for more people than ever before with diabetes and this new data highlights the urgent need to prevent Type 2 diabetes from developing in the first place.
“The NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme has now reached over a quarter of a million people at high risk of Type 2 diabetes.”
Article shared by Data Reporter as part of OnTheWight’s collaboration with Press Association and Urbs Media
