Diabetes specialists axed in Suffolk

Nurses who are specifically dedicated to the care of people who have diabetes are thin on the ground in the UK. Healthcare services for diabetics are already overstretched in many areas of the country, with funding limited and a steadily growing number of patients. Surprising news has emerged today that specialist nurses in Suffolk may lose their jobs at Ipswich Hospital.
Ipswich Hospital is known to have a particularly good diabetes centre, with a recent extension and a great track record. However, a new review of funds could leave several of the nurses there out of a job.
A spokeswoman for Ipswich hospital said: “Our review of our nurse specialists found there are more diabetes nurse specialists in our hospital than other similar hospitals. There will be a reductio, based on a very careful analysis of the services we need to provide and the money we have available to provide these services. It’s not about cutting services it’s about working to what the government wants us to achieve. We recognise it’s very threatening and disheartening to people who have worked in the services all their lives and they, perhaps, don’t see how the calibre of care can be replicated elsewhere.”
Unfortunately Ipswich Hospital faces debts of £24 million, and the new measures are part of an overall series of cuts. The director of diabetes services at Ipswich Hospital, Gerry Rayma, said: “If we erode these specialist services it will take a long time to re-establish them.”