NHS could save £250m annually with improved podiatry services

Analysis by Diabetes UK has advised that NHS England could save £250 million if it improved its diabetes foot care services.

The charity found that better podiatry services would help reduce the number of foot ulcers in people with diabetes and has called for the subsequent savings to be used to improve treatment for people with foot ulcers.

It suggested the £250 million be used to fund 7,000 podiatrists positions, which it claims England needs to ensure every person with diabetes receives adequate specialist foot care.

The news comes as at least £1 in every £140 of NHS expenditure in England is spent on diabetes foot care.

Research conducted by the Diabetes UK demonstrated cited that Somerset, Brent and Ipswich NHS Trusts saved more than £1.38 million in one year after making foot services more effective, improving care for people with diabetes-related foot conditions.

For example, Somerset hospitals and GPs set up a ‘diabetes foot pathway’ to give specialist help to people with diabetes more quickly. A 24-hour referral system and specialist training for podiatrists, nurses and doctors caused major amputations in Somerset to drop by 43 per cent. Preventing an estimated 19 amputations per year and reducing inpatient time saved approximately £926,000, almost six times the cost of improving the service.

The report warned that many people with diabetes in England do not have adequate access to care or are having to wait a long time for specialist foot services, increasing the risk they will develop serious conditions that can result in a toe, foot or leg being amputated.

Chris Askew, Diabetes UK chief executive, explained: “There are more than 20 leg, foot or toe amputations each day and most of these result from a diabetic foot ulcer. Today, around 60-75,000 people with diabetes experience a foot ulcer. That’s roughly the same as the whole population of Boston, Lincolnshire.

“NHS Commissioners should be spending money treating ulcers rather than on managing their extreme consequences. And prompt treatment for a person with a foot ulcer can prevent both the personal and economic cost of an amputation.

“It makes sense for NHS Commissioners and budget-holders to invest now in effective foot care services, especially as the diabetes crisis facing the UK means an ever growing number of people are being diagnosed with the condition.”