A DIABETES expert has called for more investment in Suffolk to help treat and tackle the condition in the wake of a critical report.

A DIABETES expert has called for more investment in Suffolk to help treat and tackle the condition in the wake of a critical report.

Many diabetes patients are only receiving a basic level of care to help them look after their condition, according to a Healthcare Commission report.

Almost 30per cent of the region's Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) were judged to be “weak” in terms of the support they offered to help patients manage their illness.

Dr Gerry Rayman, director of diabetes services at Ipswich Hospital, said: “If it were not for charity donations we would not have been able to provide the excellent specialist diabetes services which exist at the diabetes centre (at Ipswich Hospital).

“The children and adolescent service, the foot service and the pregnancy service are nationally recognised as high quality.

“We have among the lowest amputation rates reported, we won the East of England award for our work on pre-pregnancy care for diabetes, and we are unique in having an integrated children and adolescent service provided by a team of paediatric and adult diabetes specialists.

“We have also developed the first children and family education programme, FACTS, which has received two DiabetesUK research grants and been so successful that it is to be run in nine other centres in the UK.

“Unfortunately, only one of these patient education programmes is currently funded.

“It is also with sadness that we have had to reduce the number of diabetes specialist nurses employed so that for the size of our population the ratio is amongst the lowest in the UK.”

N Are you a diabetic? What do you think of the care and treatment you have received? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk