More than 57,000 people in West Sussex are living with diabetes, councillors have been told.
The information was shared during a meeting of the county council’s health & adult social care scrutiny meeting on Wednesday (September 18).
Figures from NHS Sussex showed that 52,895 people have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and 4,380 with type 1.
The committee was presented with a report which looked at diabetes care and whether people had access to the right technology to cope with the disease.
For people with type 1, that includes Hybrid Closed Loop Systems – sometimes known as an artificial pancreas – which comprise a Continuous Glucose Monitoring system and insulin pump linked to a computer algorithm that can adjust the amount of insulin
needed based on glucose readings.
Dr Ali Chakera, NHS Sussex clinical lead for diabetes, said such therapy was already being rolled out across the county, with 70% of people with type 1 estimated to be eligible for the technology.
As for type 2, only around 3.55% – around 1,877 people – would be eligible for such technology, with the main focus being on prevention and changes in behaviour and lifestyle to help manage and even reverse the condition.
Questions were asked about when the remaining 96.45% would have access to the technology.
Dr James Walsh (Lib Dem, Littlehampton East) called diabetes ‘a growing epidemic’.
While acknowledging that some people had been able to buy their own monitors, he warned that many who needed it most had not been able to do so and had no idea when their turn would come.
He was told that the 3.55% figure followed guidelines from NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) that the technology be given to people who take more than one shot of insulin per day or have special needs or be on dialysis.
Dr Chakera said there was no plan to role out the technology further unless national guidance changed.
There were also questions about the cost.
The NHS is spending more than £6.5m on Continuous Glucose Monitoring technology, with another £2m estimated to be needed to cover eligible type 2 patients.
When asked why the NHS couldn’t negotiate with the manufacturer for a cheaper deal, Dr Chakera said NHS England had been doing so and it was hoped the cost would come down
Managing diabetes correctly is vital – poor management can lead to serious foot problems and the need for amputation.
NHS Sussex reported that the number of amputations carried out across the county had increased from 1.30 per 100,000 population in 2021/22 to 1.56 per 100,000 population in 2023/24.
Rachel Harrington, of NHS Sussex, said West Sussex was fully compliant with NICE guidance for type 1 and ‘way ahead’ of the rest of the region when it came to the number who already had access to Hybrid Closed Loop Systems.
Until recently, though, the county was only partially compliant when it came to type 2 – but that is being worked on.
She added: “We are absolutely focussed on inequalities and absolutely supporting people that need the technology but might not be able to access it as easily as others.
“We will continue to work as a diabetes network across Sussex to ensure that we’re improving our outcomes for our population.”
