HEALTH chiefs have been slammed for cutting crucial education sessions for patients who have been newly diagnosed with diabetes.

East Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) confirmed it will no longer pay for the X-PERT course, which is run by a firm in Hebden Bridge, and offers 15 hours of structured education, split into six sessions.

Instead, the CCG has decided to fund a course called Empower, provided by Leicester-based Spirit Healthcare, which consists of one session of three to four hours.

Diabetes education is seen as crucial to helping type-2 diabetes patients manage their condition, and can avoid huge costs to the NHS in the long term.

If managed poorly, diabetes can lead to complications such as blindness, amputations, stroke and early death, and East Lancashire is among the worst performing areas in the country for patients hitting their treatment targets.

CCG bosses said the X-PERT course was only available in some areas, and the Empower sessions would be offered across the whole patch, adding that 'value for money' was considered.

But members of the Ribble Valley branch of Diabetes UK reacted furiously. Chairman Gordon Dixon said: "One four-hour course just isn't enough, and this is going to make things even worse than they already are.

"They're trying to do it on the cheap, but we should be raising the standard, which would benefit patients and bring massive cost savings in the longer term."

About 20 per cent of patients with type 2 diabetes will require insulin injections at some stage, for whom Empower runs a separate, longer course, which it said has been adapted for those not using insulin.

But after an exhaustive set of emails, the CCG confirmed patients would only be referred to this longer course if they required insulin, and the shorter course was appropriate for the majority.

The CCG said it wanted to improve access to education 'equitably to all newly diagnosed patients across all localities', adding the new course would also be available to those with established diabetes.

Its statement added: "Empower was selected based on course content, implementation capability and value for money (and) is proven to support patients in managing Type 2 diabetes. It is also a sustainable way of increasing access to education. Although X-PERT has been available, access in some areas has been limited with long waiting times being reported."

Mr Dixon's group has asked the CCG to provide the evidence used to support the decision, but said they have not had a response.

Spirit Healthcare said its courses were developed according to the criteria laid down by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, adding: "The course is delivered by accredited educators and is being delivered in a significant number of areas throughout the country with very positive initial results."