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.