07 April 2025
Diabetes in the UK has topped five million, of which 90% of those diagnosed have type 2 diabetes (Wise, 2023). These figures have demonstrated an increase of 148,951 from those recorded in 2020–22, with an estimate that potentially a further 2.4 million people are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes (Diabetes UK, 2023). The National Diabetes Inpatient Audit has shown that 18% of all hospital beds on any one day are occupied by people who have a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes (NHS Digital, 2020). Apart from healthcare costs attributed to age, financial costs of managing diabetes by the National Health Service is around £10 billion a year (NHS England, 2022), with late recognition of the condition being a contributory factor to rising costs (Diabetes UK, 2023). Those people with late recognition or poorly managed diabetes are at risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, which are the most prevalent cause of mortality and morbidity among people with type 1 and 2 diabetes (Orasanu and Plutzky, 2009; Ma et al, 2022). Achievement of good glycaemic control is fundamental to the prevention of complications due to diabetes — although worldwide it is recognised that only 50% of those with diabetes achieve good glycaemic control (Pastakia et al, 2017).
