Fifth of Hospital Patients Have Diabetes

Tue, 26 Jan 2010
The first diabetes audit of 200 NHS hospitals has uncovered that 20 per cent of patients on hospital wards have diabetes, that is twice the proportion estimated before.

Moreover, the audit highlights that diabetics stay in hospital longer than non-diabetic patients.

The Government's diabetes guru Dr Rowan Hillson, leader of this audit, wishes to see all diabetic patients admitted to hospital to have access to specialist advice and considers that having diabetes specialist nurses on wards can lower readmissions of patients with diabetes, errors with drugs and length of stay.

It is vital that diabetics have access to the right advice and support from healthcare professionals with specialist knowledge of the condition to ensure optimal health outcomes.

Furthermore, as increasing numbers of people are diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and more pressure is placed on NHS spending, there needs to be greater awareness of Type 2 diabetes. This can be done by encouraging people to make lifestyle changes, enabling them to decrease the risk of developing this condition.

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