More than half of adults with diabetes in Surrey are not getting the basic checks and services to manage their condition, according to charity Diabetes UK.

It said 53 per cent of people with diabetes are at increased risk of diabetes-related complications such as heart disease, kidney failure, amputation, blindness and stroke because they not receiving the nine checks and services recommended by the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).

Diabetes UK is asking people in the area to push for the condition to be given a higher priority in the county.

The charity is asking people in the area to write to their local MP to ask them to raise the issue of poor diabetes care with local health managers, and to write to Care Services minister Paul Burstow MP, to ask the Government for a national plan to deliver improved diabetes healthcare services.

Diabetes UK is holding a lobby in London on May 15 where people with diabetes will directly appeal to their MP to take up this issue.

Jill Steaton, Diabetes UK Regional Manager for the South East, said: "Diabetes is one of the greatest health challenges we face today and yet these figures show that thousands of people with the condition in Surrey are failing to get the most basic level of care.

"We want local NHS leaders to make sure all people with diabetes in the area get the right care and all the recommended checks. This is why we are calling on local health leaders to stand by people with diabetes and commit to improving the number of them who are getting the basic checks and services they need.

"The fact that 10 per cent of the NHS budget is spent on treating diabetes but so few are getting the right care clearly highlights the urgent need for a better approach to diabetes services both nationally and here in Surrey to improve lives and reduce costs.

"It is essential that health leaders in the area work together on this issue and put diabetes at the top of their agenda. Unless this happens, the financial and human toll on the NHS and the local community will be immense."

NICE recommends that PCTs ensure diabetes patients routinely get a series of nine tests which include checks on blood glucose levels, blood pressure, cholesterol, eyes, feet and kidneys.

These standards of care are the basis for the Diabetes UK 15 Healthcare Essentials, which the charity believes should be offered and provided to every person with diabetes, no matter where they live in the country. For more information visit diabetes.org.uk