Introduction
How common is diabetes?
At least 2.3 million people live with diabetes in the UK. 500,000 have not had their condition diagnosed. Diagnosed prevalence doubled between 1994 and 2003 and in England is forecast to be 5.05 per cent by 2010.
Current policy focus
Both the Department of Health White Paper Our Health, Our Care, Our Say, and the Welsh Assembly Government’s Designed for Life strategy have built on the aims of the NSFs for England and Wales of supported self-care and patient-focused services, emphasising that care should:
- be delivered closer to home
- provide support for self-management
- be designed around the individual
- be focused on prevention and user involvement
- ensure the well being of the individual including emotional well being.
The themes are common to both England and Wales. The specific themes of patient choice in access to services, and practice-based commissioning are currently on the agenda in England but not in Wales.
Aim
The Primary Care Trust (PCT) and Local Health Boards (LHB) survey aims to identify what and how services are being delivered in primary care and, where possible, track changes from 2006.
Methodology
A paper questionnaire was sent to all the chief executives in 152 PCTs in England and to diabetes leads in the 22 LHBs in September 2007. The questions addressed Diabetes UK care priorities (early identification, education, retinal screening, emotional and psychological support and children’s services) and were informed by the wider policy context. The analysis was carried out using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Microsoft Excel.
Results
51 per cent of PCTs responded (77) and 60 per cent of LHBs (13). The results for both the PCTs and LHBs have been presented in the downloadable report and, where possible, comparisons have been made.