A parliamentary report released this week by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) into standards of diabetes care in the NHS revealed worrying statistics that could see the NHS facing a surge of clinical negligence claims, according to First4lawyers.
The PAC, an influential group of MPs tasked with ensuring that taxpayers get value for money claim that diabetes care is depressingly poor, causing disabilities and sometimes death. The Department of Health estimates that up to 24,000 people with diabetes are dying each year from causes that could be avoided through better management of their condition
Delayed diagnosis, inadequate treatment and complications in patients with diabetes are all areas of care that can result in dangerous conditions including blindness and kidney disease.
The report highlights that the number of people with diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes is 3.1 million, set to rise to 3.8 million by 2020 – an increase that is likely to have a significant impact on NHS resources, said the committee.
A spokesperson for clinical negligence specialists, First4lawyers said: “Diabetes is a lifelong condition and although not all complications can be avoided cases involving failures made in the treatment of diabetic patients is something that we are seeing more of.
“Patients that are not properly monitored or given the right treatment are in serious danger of permanent damage and even death and this latest report shows just how serious the current situation is. If the findings aren’t addressed quickly there is a real danger that the NHS could see the number of clinical negligence cases brought against it begin to increase dramatically.”
Diabetes UK advises that self-monitoring is crucial to preventing some of the complications associated with diabetes but that proper care is also vital too.
First4lawyers added: “We would advise patients with diabetes to ensure that you are pushing your GP for all the relevant tests that are required as part of your treatment and make sure that you receive proper and regular follow ups”
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