A set of guidelines, issued by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), risk ‘putting unnecessary obstacles in the way of people with type 2 diabetes getting best care’, according to the charity Diabetes UK.

The guidance, which saw significant delays in publication due to disagreements between contributors on the final recommendations, is intended to give healthcare professionals and commissioners advice on how to provide appropriate support and services to people with type 2 diabetes and how to individualise care for people with type 2 diabetes. However, charity Diabetes UK, has argued that further changes need to be made to the guidelines to make them more practical.

While broadly welcoming the new guidance, Diabetes UK is concerned that NICE does not review its guidelines regularly enough. The charity believes that this is not a problem for specialist clinicians as they are well informed on the latest treatments, but general healthcare professionals, who are largely responsible for diabetes treatment, rely on NICE guidance so if this is out of date it can mean patients miss out on new, innovative treatment.

Gwen Kirby-Dent, a senior medical negligence solicitor in Thompsons Solicitors’ London office, said: “New and updated guidelines demonstrate a commitment to ensuring a high standard of diabetes care, but it is crucial that the guidance is regularly updated to ensure it fits with medical and technological advancements and is appropriate for all who treat diabetes sufferers.

“Medical staff need to be fully supported so that they can keep up with the ever-changing field of diabetes care and treat diabetes sufferers with the most up-to-date practices. This will improve diabetes care overall and reduce the risk of patients suffering negative health complications, such as amputations and other serious health issues.”