For all we moan about the NHS in this country we are bloody lucky to have it.
How much it would cost us otherwise for care and treatment doesn't bare thinking about (in my opinion anyway)
My sister was diagnosed Type 1 at 33 while living in France a few years ago. They put her straight on a pump and she's has good control from the get-go. They have a really good "mixed" system. You pay a proportion of the cost of treatment but claim it back. You choose your own doctor.
I spent forty-plus years under the NHS (Type 1) before moving to Turkey, which has the same system as France. I do go to a private hospital but my employers pay 80%. My treatment and my diabetic control has improved massively.
On the expenses, the pharmaceutical companies are massively overcharging the NHS. Why are BS strips so expensive that they have to be rationed in the UK, when they cost about a fifth of the price in Turkey, even WITHOUT a prescription? The NHS is creaky and criminally inefficient. It is bleeding money. I agree with "free" healthcare (we pay our taxes, etc, etc). But I think it needs to be organized more like France. Incidentally, a French-type system would immediately eliminate "health tourism", which is costing billions per year. How many doctors would that pay for?