Website of the Department of Health

About diabetes

The Diabetes National Service Framework (NSF) Standards, published in 2001, set out the first ever set of national standards for the treatment of diabetes.  The NSF’s 12 Standards cover all aspects of diabetes care and prevention, and together with the Delivery Strategy, sets out a 10 year programme of change and improvement which will raise the quality of services and reduce unacceptable variations.  

Diabetes is a chronic and progressive disease that has an impact upon almost every aspect of life.  Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in people of working age in the UK.  It affects infants, children, young people and adults of all ages, and is becoming more common.  There are an estimated 2.35 million people with diabetes in England.  This is predicted to grow to more than 2.5 million by 2010 - 9% of which will be due to an increase in obesity. 

Life expectancy is reduced by at least fifteen years for someone with Type 1 diabetes.  In Type 2 diabetes, which is preventable in two thirds of people who have it, life expectancy is reduced by up to 10 years.  It is estimated that around 90% of people with diabetes have type 2 diabetes.

Incidence and prevalence of diabetes is greater in areas of higher deprivations with mortality rates from diabetes higher in people from lower socio-economic groups.  And people from minority ethnic communities have up to a six times higher than average risk of developing diabetes

Around 5 per cent of total NHS spend (and up to 10 per cent of hospital in-patient spend) is used for the care of people with diabetes.

• Key papers and reports on diabetes, including NSF guidance and delivery strategy, toolkits, education, insulin supplies and services.