Almost two-thirds of people with diabetes do not have a personal care plan to help them manage their condition, research suggests.
The charity Diabetes UK said there was "strong evidence" having a plan improves health and cuts the chances of kidney failure, amputation, stroke and heart attack.
Its poll of more than 1600 people with diabetes found 65% had no care plan, as recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice). This is despite the fact treating complications accounts for 80% of the £10 billion the NHS spends every year on diabetes, it said.
Barbara Young, chief executive of Diabetes UK, said: "If people with diabetes do not have personalised care planning at the moment, then this needs to be rectified urgently and in some cases this will need to be built into the development of diabetes services."
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