This event has been fully funded and initiated by Novo Nordisk who worked with HSJ to decide on the topic it covers. HSJ entirely organised the event and retains editorial control over it and the associated report.

Research suggests the pandemic has greatly disrupted diabetes care. A study from the University of Manchester suggested that in April 2020 alone there was a 70 per cent drop in recorded diagnoses of type 2 diabetes compared to expected rates based on 10-year trends, with rates of blood tests to monitor diabetes falling by 77 per cent in England.

There is now a significant backlog of patients awaiting assessment and review in primary care, increasing the risk of complications – and with them poorer outcomes for patients and greater costs to the service.

So what can diabetes teach us about how best to address pandemic-related care backlogs? What actions will need to be taken to most effectively prioritise need? How will primary and secondary care need to work together? How can the workforce be used most effectively, particularly given it has already been under severe strain for almost two years?

This HSJ webinar, run in association with Novo Nordisk, brought together a panel of experts to discuss these questions and possible answers. The event is entirely non-promotional and did not involve any discussion of medicines.