Systemic, long-term changes to the UK’s health system are required to tackle ‘unacceptable’ inequalities in diabetes care, according to a new report from the Diabetes UK Tackling Inequality Commission.
The report, based on the experiences of more than 100 people with diabetes, sets out a series of recommendations for healthcare professionals and policymakers to deliver the change that is needed.
Access to diabetes technology can be life-changing, but those from an ethnic minority or living in deprivation are far less likely to be able to benefit from it. The report concludes that racism is ‘a public health issue’ and calls for a ‘bold’ approach to reduce its impact. It recommends examining the systems, policy and practices that act as barriers to equality, and working with communities to change them. It calls for all organisations that support people living with diabetes to commit to practices that are anti-racist and sensitive to the needs of people experiencing deprivation.
