Diabetes is a serious life-long condition which affects around three million people in the UK
There are two types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2. Sufferers with type 1 diabetes are unable to produce insulin, whereas type 2 diabetics do not have enough insulin, or their insulin does not work properly.
Insulin is produced in the pancreas and allows glucose to be used as fuel for energy. Diabetics have a build-up of glucose in their blood and are unable to use this as fuel.
Delayed treatment or misdiagnosis of diabetes can have serious consequences for a patient, and result in a number of complications.
Guidelines from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) have recommended that diabetes patients should routinely undergo a series of nine different tests every 12 months to help identify the early signs of serious complications.
However, many patients do not receive the full nine tests and as a result are put at risk of developing complications.
Diabetics are vulnerable to serious complications including blindness, kidney failure, heart problems and infections, or gangrene that can lead to amputation. Diabetics are 24 times more likely than the general population to suffer an amputation.
Sharon Banga, a clinical negligence solicitor at Thompsons Solicitors' Birmingham office, said:
"Diabetes affects a significant proportion of the UK population, with around three million diagnosed sufferers, and hundreds of thousands more who remain undiagnosed and unaware of their condition.
"It is deeply concerning that patients are not receiving the tests and observation that they require, and as a result are developing serious complications.
“In England, there are around 100 lower limb amputations every week among people with diabetes. While there have been significant improvements in the testing of diabetes patients, there is still more work to do in order to protect those who suffer with the condition."
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