Local MP Graham Stuart said the announcement of a new urgent foot care clinic in Beverley, due to open this summer, is a major step forward for the campaign to reduce diabetes-related amputation rates across the East Riding.
By 2035, the number of adults in the East Riding with diabetes is expected to almost double to 30,000, and Graham warned this would create added pressure upon services that cater for these associated conditions.
Between 2013/14 and 2015/16, 75 major lower-limb amputations were carried out on diabetes patients across the East Riding at a rate of 13.4 per 10,000 patients. This puts the local figures over 50% above the national average of 8.1 per 10,000 during the same period.
While the CCG has been recently awarded an ‘outstanding’ rating for its work to improve diabetes awareness and staff training, Graham claimed this means little if patients are not seeing tangible, positive results. He said that the new urgent foot care clinic in Beverley – part of the CCG’s decision to double the number of clinics in the East Riding from two to four – is a welcome move.
Podiatry clinics perform vital checks and early screenings that can prevent both major and minor lower-limb amputations, which are often caused by nerve and blood vessel damage linked to diabetes. Earlier this year, Graham supported the campaign to save the podiatry clinic at the Rosedale Unit in Hedon, and has encouraged the CCG’s decision to further boost capacity for the growing number of diabetes patients.
Amputations can have a devastating impact upon a patient. Available evidence suggests that up to 80% of patients who have undergone major lower-limb amputation die within five years of the operation, whilst even minor amputations can significantly inhibit movement, reduce the ability to work and lower patients’ basic quality of life.
Graham said: “It was encouraging to see the East Riding CCG respond positively to my letter over the continuing prevalence of diabetes-related amputations in our local area. The news of a new urgent foot care clinic in Beverley is a major step forward and I am pleased that the CCG has recognised the need for action.”
