Skip to content

This Site is Intended for Healthcare Professionals Only

Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

NHS report reveals 74% increase in diabetes prescription costs

NHS report reveals 74% increase in diabetes prescription costs

The cost of items used for diabetes treatment rose to £1.67 billion in 2023/24, up from £960 million in 2015/16

A newly published NHS report has highlighted the growing burden of diabetes on the healthcare system and revealed significant disparities in patient numbers across various socioeconomic groups.

The ‘Prescribing for Diabetes 2015/16 to 2023/24’ statistical report shows that in 2023/24, there were 71 million items prescribed for diabetes treatment, marking a substantial 42 per cent increase from 50 million items in 2015/16.


Compared to the previous year (2022/23), the number of diabetes items prescribed increased by seven per cent from 66 million items.

The total cost for diabetes-related prescription items rose to £1.67 billion in 2023/24, accounting for 15 per cent of the total spending on all prescription items in England.

This represents a 74 per cent increase from £960 million in 2015/16 when diabetes items accounted for 10% of the total spending on all prescribed items, and a nine per cent increase from £1.53 billion in 2022/23.

Antidiabetic drugs were the most commonly prescribed items for diabetes treatment in England in 2023/24, with 53 million prescriptions costing £960 million.

This cost has seen a remarkable 127 per cent increase since 2015/16, when it stood at £420 million.

In terms of patient numbers, there were 3.6 million patients identified as having received at least one diabetes prescription in 2023/24, a seven per cent increase from 3.4 million patients in 2022/23, and a 34 per cent rise from 2.7 million patients in 2015/16.

The report published by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) on 8 August 2024, highlighted a significant disparity in diabetes prevalence across different socioeconomic groups. The most deprived areas in England had 340,000 more patients prescribed diabetes drugs compared to the least deprived areas.

Male patients aged 60 to 64 received the most prescribing for drugs used in diabetes in 2023/24, with 270,000 identified patients in this age group.

Diabetes is identified as one of the priorities for care and quality outcomes in the NHS Long Term Plan.

Data released by the National Diabetes Audit on June 12, 2024 showed that the number of people in England who are at risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has increased by over half a million within a year.

More For You

A woman using a period tracker app

Cambridge University academics have flagged concerns over the safety of period tracker apps

Pic credit: iStock

Users of period tracking apps face privacy, safety risk, say experts

The report said the apps provide a "gold mine" of data for consumer profiling and warn that in the wrong hands it could pose a safety risk

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY academics have flagged concerns over the safety of period tracker apps and warned that the women using them could face privacy and safety risks.

Keep ReadingShow less
Patients to get test results via NHS app

An investment of £50m has been made to upgrade the NHS app

Patients to get test results via NHS app

Millions of patients will now be able to access test results and get appointment reminders on their smartphones as the government tries to position the NHS app as the default mode of communication and steer away from traditional methods like letters.

An investment of £50m has been made to upgrade the NHS app and the health service hopes to save £200m over the next three years.

Keep ReadingShow less
Health minister assures House of Lords on measures to tackle UK-wide Creon drug shortage

Baroness Merron

Government taking steps to mitigate shortage of cancer drug Creon

Baroness Merron on Monday (9) assured the House of Lords that the government is taking measures to mitigate the shortage of pancreatic cancer drug Creon across the country.

Raising the issue, Baroness Margaret Ritchie wanted to know about the steps being taken by the government to ease the misery of patients suffering from pancreatic cancer.

Keep ReadingShow less
Janet Morrison: "Eventual outcome of spending review needs to tackle pharmacy underfunding"

Janet Morrison

Janet Morrison: "Eventual outcome of spending review needs to tackle pharmacy underfunding"

Community Pharmacy England (CPE) chief executive Janet Morrison has welcomed chancellor Rachel Reeves announcement today that day-to-day spending on the NHS will increase by £29bn a year but insisted that it must reflect in securing the future of pharmacy.

Reeves also revealed that the government will be increasing the NHS technology budget by almost 50 per cent, with £10bn of investment to "bring our analogue health system into the digital age, including through the NHS app".

Keep ReadingShow less
Lynsey Cleland named GPhC chief standards officer

Lynsey Cleland

Pic credit: X

Lynsey Cleland named GPhC chief standards officer

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has brought back Lynsey Cleland to lead on a number of important departments in the role of chief standards officer.

Cleland had previously held a number of senior positions at GPhC, including director of Scotland.

Keep ReadingShow less