Pulse check report: Services for people with diabetes

Healthwatch Kingston, working with Diabetes UK, wanted to encourage Kingston residents to talk about their experiences of services. They sought the views of people with diabetes to help services work better for the people who use them.

The key messages from the discussions are listed below:

• There were considerable inconsistences between GP surgeries in the way diabetic conditions were being treated and supported. However, where patients had been referred to the Diabetic Day Unit at Kingston Hospital, there was considerably admiration for the support received by patients.
• Covid-19 had impacted on diabetes treatment, with a reduction in annual eye tests changing to every two years, at least for the period of the pandemic.
• There seemed to be a “a postcode lottery” as annual diabetes checks at surgeries were in many cases seen as being a “tick box” exercise for the benefit of the practice as opposed to being of genuine assistance to the patient.
• In the absence of the expected information and advice being forthcoming at surgery level, many patients felt the need to do a lot of their own research.
• Respondents said they felt uncertain as to whether they were on the right medication or the correct dosage.
• Annual Review sessions at GP surgeries want useful for all. A lack of proper discussion with knowledgeable practice personnel was the major concern.
• Having diabetes was a source of continuing worry for many patients. Many wanted to receive more personalised dietary advice and said that currently some of the available information seemed contradictory.