Social Inequality and Diabetes: A Commentary

Socioeconomic inequality of access to healthcare is seen across the spectrum of healthcare, including diabetes. Health inequalities are defined as the ‘preventable, unfair and unjust differences in health status between groups, populations or individuals that arise from the unequal distribution of social, environmental and economic conditions within societies, which determine the risk of people getting ill, their ability to prevent sickness or opportunities to take action and access treatment when ill health occurs’ (NHS England; https://www.england.nhs.uk/about/equality/equality-hub/resources/). Access to diabetes technologies has improved glycaemic and quality-of-life outcomes for many users. Inability to access such devices, however, is evidenced in National Diabetes Audit data, with a reported tenfold variation in insulin pump use by people with type 1 diabetes across specialist centres. This variation suggests a lack of access to healthcare systems that should be investigated. This article highlights some of the key issues surrounding healthcare inequalities in the management of diabetes.