Services for people with diabetes
Diabetes is a long-term condition that affects more than 1.9 million people in England. It can shorten people's lives and affect their quality of life because of the long-term complications. Understanding what patients think about the treatment they get is a vital step to improving the quality of care given by the NHS.
Survey of people with diabetes 2006
Our survey asked whether people with diabetes get the care, treatment and information they need to manage their diabetes well and to reduce the risk of complications.
Local primary care trusts (PCTs) sent the questionnaire to almost 125,000 adults (aged 16 and over) with diabetes, asking about their experiences of services provided by the NHS. Responses were received from 68,500 people, which is a response rate of 55%.
Key findings
- Nearly three-quarters (73%) of respondents said that they were given the right amount of information at the time of diagnosis, although only 57% reported receiving the right amount of written information.
- Less than 1% reported that they had never had an annual check-up to assess their condition.
- The majority of respondents reported that they had undergone tests within the last 12 months to check for complications with their diabetes.
- Of those admitted to hospital as an inpatient in the last 12 months, 68% reported that all staff were aware that they had diabetes.
- Seventeen per cent of respondents didn't know what type of diabetes they had.
Our review of services for people with diabetes
The results of this survey were used in our review of services for people with diabetes, to improve services and make sure that adults with diabetes are offered the support that they need to look after themselves.
