Four Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) in the Humber area are set to receive funding to improve care and treatment for people living with diabetes in the region.
NHS East Riding of Yorkshire, Hull, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire CCGs will share the funding which is part of a national investment of £42 million from NHS England.
The funds, which come to around £500,000, will be used to develop existing services. To do this the CCGs will work together and with partners in hospital trusts, primary care, community services and patient groups.
NHS England has worked with Diabetes UK to identify four top priorities to raise the standards of treatment and care: supporting people with diabetes to stay healthy; managing the risk of complications; increasing access to foot care teams; and improving specialist diabetes care.
Diabetes is the fastest growing health threat facing the UK, with 700 people diagnosed every day. Left untreated or not managed well, diabetes can result in a range of health complications including blindness, kidney failure, limb amputation, and even death.
This investment is the result of years of campaigning by healthcare professionals and people with diabetes, and will be the first time many local areas will receive new money specifically to help them improve diabetes services.
The funding will directly allow the four CCGs to invest in:
- Reducing the number of amputations by improving access to multi-disciplinary foot care teams.
Hull and East Riding CCG’s collaboration has also meant that they will receive funding for:-
- Education for people with diabetes to ensure that they are well informed and know how to look after themselves and stay healthy.
- Increasing the number of people improving the targets for controlling blood sugar levels, blood pressure and cholesterol. This can reduce the risk of complications such as blindness, kidney failure, limb amputation and stroke and heart attacks.
North East Lincolnshire CCG has also independently received funding to improve education for people with diabetes.
Erica Daley, Director of Integrated Commissioning with NHS Hull CCG, said: “We are really pleased to have secured this diabetes transformation funding. Diabetes is one of the fastest growing health concerns in our area and the CCG will be working with local partners to improve the outcomes for people with Diabetes in Hull and East Yorkshire. Most importantly for people living with the condition, we want to ensure they are given the skills and support to self-manage their illness, reducing the likelihood of complications such as blindness, kidney failure and amputations.”
Alex Seale, East Riding of Yorkshire CCG Director of Commissioning and Transformation added: “This funding is a great boost the population of East Riding of Yorkshire. The money will be used support the expansion of a multi-disciplinary foot care team and increase funding to enhance patient educational courses, supporting patients to understand and adapt to living with diabetes, taking control of their health and improve quality of care.”
Stephen Ryan, Diabetes UK Head of the North said: “This money will help to significantly improve diabetes foot care in the region; reducing the risk of amputation and providing people with the necessary support to look after themselves – and their feet – more effectively.
It will also help to significantly improve structured education programmes in the area, enabling more people living with diabetes to learn how to manage their condition effectively and help them to achieve their treatment targets for blood pressure, blood glucose and cholesterol.
“It’s essential that the nearly 55,000 people who have been diagnosed with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes in the Humber region receive the help they need to avoid devastating complications and reduce long term costs. At Diabetes UK we are committed to working with the CCGs to provide better care and achieve these improvements.”
