New stats reveal diabetes amputations postcode lottery

The chances of someone with diabetes having an amputation can be increased by eight-fold depending on where they live, according to latest NHS figures.
The locations in England with the most amputations are Scarborough, in North Yorkshire, and Mansfield, in Nottinghamshire.
A total of 4.9 per cent of 1,000 adults with both type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes had limbs removed in both areas. That is eight times higher than in London borough Brent where only 0.6 per 1,000 people had an amputation in the last three years.
Overall there has been a rise in diabetes-related amputations of 3,043, up from 19,066 amputations between 2009 and 2012 to 22,109 operations carried out during the following three years.
The data comes from a combination of Hospital Episode Statistics and Quality and Outcomes Framework compiled by the BBC to mark a week of television and radio programmes about diabetes. All 12 BBC English regions will be showing a film about type 2 diabetes at 7.30pm tonight focused on each location.
While amputations are a frightening topic, the positive news is that around 80 per cent of amputations could be avoided through good self-care and early identification of foot problems.
By checking your feet daily, you can spot foot damage and notify your doctor before a problem becomes too serious.
Lead on diabetes and high-risk podiatry services in North Yorkshire, Katharine Speak, told the BBC: “We are not seeing the patient soon enough. Sometimes they feel that they can deal with things themselves and once it’s got out of control there is very little we can do to get it back.”
The team behind the Hospital Episode Statistics process more than 125 million admitted patient, outpatient and accident and emergency records each year. It is a data warehouse containing records of all patients admitted to NHS hospitals in England.