JDRF - Covid and beyond: confronting the unequal access to type 1 diabetes healthcare (October 2021)

Summary

This report looks at research commissioned by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) to understand the varying pandemic experiences of different people affected by type 1 diabetes in the UK. It highlights an enormous withdrawal of NHS services during the pandemic, leading to highly unequal access to type 1 diabetes care.

Content

Key findings of the report:

• 45% of children with type 1 diabetes could not access their normal level of healthcare support during the pandemic. This rose to 63% for adults living with the condition, significantly higher than people who have other health conditions
• Many living with type 1 diabetes said that the Covid crisis has taken a toll on their physical and mental health
• Patients given type 1 diabetes technology choices before the pandemic felt better able to manage their condition during the crisis
• Despite the major disruption to type 1 diabetes healthcare, 58% of adults with the condition felt the NHS had done its best to support them during the pandemic

The report recommends:

• prioritising increased access to type 1 technology.
• offering a choice of virtual, telephone and face to face appointments to people with type 1 diabetes.
• improved communication from the NHS, which needs to be more proactive when care is disrupted.
• putting with type 1 diabetes must be at the heart of service design and delivery.