Pharmacists are being invited to become “clinical champions” to drive forward change to improve diabetic services.

Consultants, GPs, nurses and any other healthcare professional with experience of treating diabetics are also invited to become one of 16 “clinical champions”.

Diabetes costs a tenth of the NHS budget for England and Wales, with almost £14bn spent treating diabetes and its complications.

It is estimated there will be four million people with diabetes by 2025.

Head of healthcare professional engagement at Diabetes UK, Amy Rylance, said clinicians were “uniquely well placed to identify how diabetic service can improve”.

“There is a diabetics crisis in the UK. We face massive variation in patient care, treatments and health outcomes across the UK.

“There is clear and growing evidence it is possible to deliver better diabetes care, by ensuring effective services are in place to help reduce the expensive complications that arise from poor diabetes management.”

The role is voluntary and will last for two years. The deadline for application is 30 March 2015.