NORTHERN Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals are in the bottom 20 in the UK for diabetes hospital stays.

A report, published by the National Diabetes Information Service (NDIS), shows Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Trust had the 20th highest number of beds taken by diabetes sufferers in 2008.

Almost 10 hospital beds were taken every day by diabetes patients, with 3,531 "bed days" recorded.

Angela Dawson has campaigned to raise funds for diabetes care since her son Henry, six, was diagnosed with type one diabetes four years ago, and believes better staffing levels would ease the pressure on hospitals.

She said: "For us taking Henry to hospital would always be a last resort and the outpatient care we have received at the hospital has been outstanding.

"Unfortunately the wards are so short-staffed and stretched it's difficult for them to provide that level of specialist care.

"This often means that people have no choice but to present themselves to the children's ward or at A and E and take a hospital bed." Simon Rigg, spokesperson for Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "It isn't clear why our figures on the number of bed occupancy days for patients with diabetes appear higher than other areas in the country – it could be down to a number of factors which we will obviously look into.

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