A leading diabetes doctor in the south Bucks has said educating younger generations about eating healthily is key to preventing people from developing the condition.

Dr Kathy Hoffman, diabetes clinical lead for Aylesbury Vale and Chiltern Clinical Commissioning Groups, said that “without question” more money needs to be spent on educating people about diabetes, how to prevent it and how to manage it after diagnosis.

It comes after shocking figures revealed a surge in diabetes cases in south Bucks, with the number rising at almost twice the national rate.

The Chiltern CCG, which oversees GP surgeries across south Bucks, saw the second highest rise in the south east among its patients, with a 9.64 per cent increase over three years - compared to 5.93 per cent for England, according to new figures from GP patient data by Diabetes UK.

In south Bucks, just under £2m was spent jointly by the Chiltern and Aylesbury Vale CCGs on prescription drugs and treatments for diabetes in the second quarter of the 2015-2016 financial year.

In 2013, it is estimated that NHS Aylesbury Vale and NHS Chiltern CCGs together spent almost £14.4 million on diabetes treatment and its complications.

Dr Hoffman says educating people is a “top priority” for Chiltern and Aylesbury CCGs to reduce the number of people developing Type 2 diabetes and also to help those suffering with the condition to manage it effectively.

The CCGs are now looking at how to bring specialists into the GP surgery to give doctors and nurses more confidence to manage the patient’s condition.

She said: “We want to bring specialists to work with doctors and nurses, so advice can be given while the patient is in the room, instead of referring patients to different departments.

“We think this will make a huge difference. At the moment, the education on diabetes is a ‘one size fits all’ but that is going to change.

“Everyone is different. A lot of people may not understand exactly what they need to do to manage it, some people need to go away and think, some people need to actually see a plate of food for them to learn about portion sizes. We are not all university graduates, not everyone knows what a carbohydrate or a protein looks like.”

The CCGs main focus, however, is on preventing younger generations from developing Type 2 diabetes.

She said: “If the population continues to age there will always be more people who get diabetes, because it often comes it age.

“What we really want to focus on is preventing young people from developing Type 2 diabetes. There are young people who are overweight and who are eating a diet that makes them even more overweight.

“In supermarkets, healthy snacks are not on the eye-level of children, the sweets are because that is what companies are trying to flog to children.

“Education and understanding of diabetes is very important and we need to get the message into schools.”

And diabetes sufferers are getting involved to help the CCGs shape their services for those with the condition.

High Wycombe resident Terry Boreham, 71, was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 1987 and is now insulin dependent, but has been volunteering with Diabetes UK for five years and sits on different committees and groups to help the NHS and Chiltern CCG improve their services.

He said: “It is very important to improve education so that when people are newly diagnosed, they can get the information they need to improve their lifestyle, not just immediately after the diagnosis but in the long run.

“It is a condition you have to live with 24 hours a day, seven days a week and people really need to be aware of the complications that can come from not managing it properly.”

Mr Boreham is now helping to arrange a diabetes roadshow in High Wycombe on April 15 and 16, outside Marks and Spencer in Eden Shopping Centre.