Foot amputations affect the wellbeing of thousands of diabetics every year, because lesser wellness problems, such as foot ulcers, aren’t treated soon enough. This is according to a new report from Diabetes UK, the Society for Chiropodists and Podiatrists, NHS Diabetes and Diabetes Voice, who describe the problem as ‘foot attack’ due to its severity.
According to the report, Fast Track for a Foot Attack: Reducing Amputations, serious foot problems in people with diabetes need to be treated within 24 hours, but too many areas do not have the systems in place to do so. Just a few hours delay in treating foot ulcers can mean that a person with diabetes loses a foot, and 50% of people with diabetes die within two years of an amputation. Of the 6000 diabetes-related amputations every year, up to 80% are believed to be preventable.
To do this, the report recommends that the 40% of hospitals who do not yet have a multi-disciplinary foot care team in place do so as soon as possible, as this is part of guidance to the NHS from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, and ensures good quality care for foot problems in people with diabetes. There should also be a guarantee that the team can assess urgent foot problems within 24 hours. Further, people at high risk of foot ulcers and infections should be identified and regularly be reviewed in every area, including annual foot checks, and people with diabetes should be trained about what to look for and what to do if a foot attack occurs.
Alistair McInnes, a senior lecturer in the School of Health Professions at the University of Brighton and expert advisor to The Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists, is one of the experts behind the report. He explained, ‘Foot disease and foot complications take up more hospital beds than any other complication of diabetes. Diabetic foot care has been a ‘Cinderella service’ for far too long and we have a completely unacceptably high level of amputation and variation in amputations across England and Wales.’
He concluded by saying that people with diabetes shouldn’t be alarmed by the report, but ‘We want to make sure these wounds that can be prevented are prevented by some very simple precautions and advice.’ This plan is a ‘no brainer’ as ‘having a multidisciplinary team and a foot protection team saves limbs, saves lives and saves money,’ he added.
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