A Company Chemists’ Association (CCA) report urges the NHS to commission a community pharmacy diabetes screening service which would save the NHS £50m in recurring costs each year.
The CCA’s report ‘Increasing Access to Diabetes Screening and Prevention Through Community Pharmacy’ highlights the need to create a clear national patient pathway for diabetes detection and prevention.
The report highlights how an NHS-commissioned Type 2 diabetes screening service by community pharmacies across England would allow community pharmacies to deliver the following benefits each year:
- screen 1.5 million adults annually and identify 180,000 prediabetics;
- identify 45,000 undiagnosed diabetics and prevent them from developing serious complications that require specialised care;
- prevent almost 7,000 heart attacks and strokes and improve patients’ quality of life;
- prevent nearly 15,000 people developing severe-sight loss over the course of their lifetime; and
- reduce the financial toll that diabetes takes on the NHS by saving the NHS £50m in recurring costs each year.
Type 2 Diabetes and its complications account for a tenth of the NHS annual budget. By 2035/36 this is projected to grow to 17%. Currently around four million people have been diagnosed with diabetes across the UK, with an additional two million people are at high risk of developing the condition. Furthermore, diabetes creates an enormous economic toll on society - the loss of productivity and diabetes-related disability costs the UK over £20bn annually.
There are significant barriers to early detection and prevention. These include long waits to secure a GP appointment and patients having to travel long travel distances to see an appropriate healthcare professional, preventing them from receiving timely and appropriate care. As many as 25 million GP appointments every year are estimated to be dedicated to the management of Type 2 Diabetes, equivalent to an entire month’s worth of GP appointments.
These access issues are particularly prevalent in more deprived communities, where the economic burden of travelling long distances for a GP appointment or work commitments may deter people from seeking advice and care.
The CCA is now urging NHS England to:
- Commission a national diabetes screening service to identify and aid people either with, or at risk of, Type 2 Diabetes.
- Support and improve IT communications between pharmacies and GP surgeries so that test results can be shared seamlessly.
- Develop patient pathways to provide newly diagnosed diabetics with easily accessible treatment through community pharmacy.
Malcolm Harrison, Chief Executive Officer of the Company Chemists’ Association said: “With the burden of Type 2 Diabetes set to grow significantly, commissioning pharmacies to deliver a national diabetes screening service makes sense for patients, the NHS and the UK economy. A national Type 2 Diabetes screening service could not only free up as many as 25 million GP appointments a year but help reverse the blight of the disease which continues to disproportionately affect patients in areas of higher deprivation. This service would align closely to the objectives of the NHS and could be a step-change for the four million people with Type 2 Diabetes and two million people at high risk of developing it.”
The report was produced in association with BHR BIOSYNEX, a leading supplier of point-of-care diagnostics; and used its MoREM service as a real-life example of success.
Ramesh Patel, Managing Director of BHR BIOSYNEX said: “Currently one in four hospital beds are occupied by people with diabetes complications and offering targeted support could reduce the number of people who develop diabetes in the first place. Early diagnosis and action are key to tackling diabetes. Point-of-care testing, together with behavioural support helps to provide patients with a clear picture of their health."
