Diabetes Ireland welcomed today’s announcement on the launch of the new Diabetes Cycle of Care for people with Type 2 Diabetes. 

Dr Anna Clarke, Diabetes Ireland said “while we still have to see the finer details of the announcement, it seems that only people with Type 2 diabetes who have a current GMS or GP Visit card will be able to avail of the service from the outset. We would be keen to see this extended so that every person with Type 2 diabetes can avail of this service, if it is appropriate for them”. 

Type 2 diabetes is a complex condition and many people with Type 2 diabetes will still require ongoing specialist hospital care. The current cost of diabetes to the Irish exchequer is approximately 10% of the annual health budget. Sixty per cent (60%) of this is spent on dealing with the complications of poorly controlled diabetes, primarily in people with Type 2 diabetes. 

Attendance at regular structured diabetes reviews through this service will no doubt enhance the management of the patient’s condition over the longer term, help prevent the onset of costly complications and will motivate the patient into managing their condition more effectively. However, Diabetes Ireland states that a minimum of 3 rather than 2 reviews per annum would be international best practice and although costing slightly more in the short term would bring major long term financial savings for the Government in the future. 

While the announcement made reference to the clinical content of the service and the need for GPs to submit appropriate data, we would also be keen to ensure that only those GPs who have undertaken specific diabetes training would be able to deliver the service. From a patient perspective, we simply must ensure from the outset that the care provided through this service is of international best practice standard. We look forward to seeing further details on the implementation of the service in the near future” added Dr Clarke.