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£10m community diabetes programme boosts checks rate by 60%

A GP federation which won a £10m contract to carry out community-based diabetes checks says it has boosted performance by almost 60% in its first year.

The Suffolk GP Federation, which rolled out the service in April 2014, said over 11,000 patients received all eight NICE-recommended checks in 2014/15 – 4,000 more than in 2013/14 when the number was just 7,000 patients.

This was a 58% increase in patient numbers and meant 60% of local patients with diabetes had received all the checks compared 40% a year earlier.

There were also 3-5% increases in patients registered with diabetes and in rates of controlled blood pressure and cholesterol, and a 12% increase in the proportion of patients with type 1 diabetes who had a foot check.

The programme has seen the federation set up a dedicated helpline and mobile dietetic, podiatry and antenatal clinics provided in a vast number of GP surgeries in Colchester and Tendring.

David Pannell, chief executive of the federation, said: ‘Four-thousand additional diabetes patients in North Essex have had all their care checks compared to previous year. It’s a massive increase.’

Prior to the federation rolling out the community service, the area had performed below average for diabetes management, being ranked 168th out of 211 CCG areas for patients achieving glycaemic control.


          

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