A LEADING diabetes charity is calling on people in Wiltshire and Swindon to push for change so the condition is given higher priority.

More than half of adults with diabetes in the county are not getting the basic checks and services they need to manage their condition and Diabetes UK is calling for urgent action to improve care in the area.

The 55 per cent of people with diabetes who are not receiving the nine checks and services recommended by the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) are at increased risk of diabetes-related complications including heart disease, kidney failure, amputation, blindness and strokes.

Nationally, half of people with diabetes receive the nine checks, which include checks on blood glucose levels, blood pressure, cholesterol, eyes, feet and kidneys.

As Wiltshire PCT is performing worse than the national average, Diabetes UK is asking people to write to their local MP to ask them to raise the issue of poor diabetes care with local health managers, and to write to Paul Burstow MP, Minister for Care Services, to ask the Government for a national plan to deliver improved diabetes healthcare services.

Diabetes UK will be helping people campaign for change by holding a lobby in London on May 15, when people with diabetes will directly appeal to their MP to take up this issue.

Graham Cooper, Diabetes UK regional manager for the South West, said: “We want local NHS leaders to make sure all people with diabetes in the area get the right care and all the recommended checks.

“This is why we are calling on local health leaders to stand by people with diabetes and commit to improving the number of them who are getting the basic checks and services they need.

“The fact that 10 per cent of the NHS budget is spent on treating diabetes but so few are getting the right care clearly highlights the urgent need for a better approach to diabetes services, both nationally and here in Wiltshire, to improve lives and reduce costs.

“It is essential that health leaders in the area work together on this issue and put diabetes at the top of their agenda. Unless this happens, the financial and human toll on the NHS and the local community will be immense.”

It was revealed earlier this year that in Swindon, the PCT gave all nine tests to fewer than 10 per cent of diabetes patients. But the PCT insists progress has since been made and it is committed to providing the highest quality care for people with diabetes, and test rates are improving year on year.

A spokesman said: “Thanks to the dedicated work of healthcare staff in GP surgeries, hospital services and in the patient's own home, significant improvements continue to be made.

“Newly designed community diabetes services are now available in Swindon. There has also been an internal PCT audit of a number of GP practices, and this has already shown an improvement in the 2009/10 position.

“Diabetes care is a top priority for the NHS in Swindon and together with community partners, we are looking at what further improvements can be made.”

For more information on how to get involved in local action on diabetes, visit www.diabetes.org.uk