Children not receiving key diabetes health checks, study shows

According to a study by Diabetes UK, almost 75 per cent of older children in England and Wales with diabetes had not received key health checks.

The study examined 27,689 children and young people and found 25.4 per cent of those aged 12 and older had all seven recommended annual checks. Health officials have recommended all children with diabetes should be assessed to ensure they are managing their condition properly.

In addition, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines state that all children with diabetes should have their blood sugar checked each year and that those over the age of 12 should receive six other annual health checks.

The report analysed data from children and young people with diabetes up to the age of 24 who attended paediatric diabetes units in England and Wales between April 2014 and the end of March. Over 70 per cent had type 1 diabetes which requires daily injections of insulin.

The study noted that those achieving ‘excellent diabetes control’ rose from 15.8 per cent in 2012-13 to 23.5 per cent in 2014-15. It found that 98.7 per cent of all children and young people had received the blood glucose checks, and that 23 per cent had now reduced their risk of future complications from the disease.

However, the study warned that the most commonly missed checks among children aged 12 and older included foot examinations, eye screenings and cholesterol testing.

Dr Justin Warner, consultant in paediatric endocrinology and diabetes at the University Hospital of Wales and clinical lead at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, commented: “They form part of a lifetime of screening for complications which, if recognised early, are amenable to interventions that reduce progression.”

Bridget Turner, director of policy and care improvement at Diabetes UK, said: "There remains considerable variation in the level of care provided.

"This is very worrying because if children and young people are not supported to manage their diabetes well in early life, they are more likely to be at risk of debilitating and life-threatening complications in adult life such as amputations, blindness and stroke."