24 Jul 2024
The direct costs of diabetes in 2021/22 for the UK were estimated at £10.7 billion, of which just over 40% related to diagnosis and treatment, with the rest relating to the excess costs of complications. Indirect costs were estimated at £3.3 billion.
A pragmatic review, commissioned by Diabetes UK and carried out by York Health Economics Consortium, shows that the NHS spends £10.7bn a year on diabetes, about 6% of the UK health budget. The review of relevant data sources for UK nations includes population-level data sets and published literature, to generate estimates of costs separately for Type 1, Type 2 and gestational diabetes. A comprehensive cost framework, developed in collaboration with experts, was used to create a population-based cost of illness model.
The key driver of the analysis was prevalence of diabetes and its complications. Estimates were made of the excess costs of diagnosis, treatment and diabetes-related complications compared with the general UK population. Estimates of the indirect costs of diabetes focused on productivity losses due to absenteeism and premature mortality.
Diabetes remains a considerable cost burden in the UK, and the majority of those costs are still spent on potentially preventable complications. Although rates of some complications are reducing, prevalence continues to increase and effective approaches to primary and secondary prevention continue to be needed. Improvements in data capture, data quality and reporting, and further research on the human and financial implications of increasing incidence of Type 2 diabetes in younger people are recommended.
Diabetes UK state:
There is a huge opportunity to transform the lives of people with diabetes through a greater focus on early care and support, with fewer people developing complications. We are calling on all political parties to ensure that the next UK government:
- Takes bold action to reduce the number of people developing type 2 diabetes – including measures to tackle the promotion of unhealthy food and drink.
- Provides more attention and resource to ensure people with diabetes receive their vital regular health checks. Some progress has been made to ease the backlog caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, but this essential care is still not being delivered to everyone who needs it. In 2022/23, approximately 1.6 million people living with diabetes did not receive all eight of their essential health checks in England alone.
- Ensures people with diabetes have access to technologies and treatments to help them manage their diabetes effectively.
Colette Marshall, Chief Executive at Diabetes UK, says:
This new research paints a stark picture, with billions of pounds being spent treating devastating diabetes complications. These complications cause untold hardship to many thousands of people and are, in most cases, preventable with the right care.
Getting care right for people with diabetes can save limbs, sight and lives. But despite some progress, too many people are still missing out and too many are developing diabetes complications.
Shifting the dial from crisis to preventative care would help to reduce the harm from diabetes, allowing people with the condition to live well along while, ultimately, reducing the cost to the health service.
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