About 16,000 children have diabetes in the UK

The audit of 11,696 child diabetics, funded by the charity Diabetes UK, also found a third were not receiving enough tests from doctors.

Diabetes UK called on health services to do more to ensure children receive good standards of support and care.

Type I diabetes affects about 16,000 children in Britain.

Research has shown that children who do not keep their blood glucose levels close to the recommended figure are at risk of developing heart disease, blindness and strokes as they get older.

The audit, which looked at practices across 132 hospitals in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, showed that only one in five under fives and one in seven 11 to 16-year-olds reached blood sugar targets.

It also found 30% were not receiving the HbA1c tests every three months as recommended.

Simon O'Neill, the director of care and policy at Diabetes UK, said: "Local health services must work closely with existing paediatric diabetes teams to improve services for children with diabetes.

Tests

"Our children deserve a chance at the healthiest future possible.

"Diabetes is about self management and children face extra challenges living with the condition.

"Primary care trusts must ensure that they are providing the services required to support children and their parents to effectively live with diabetes."

We don't know what is the best way to help motivate a teenager to manage their diabetes properly Dr John Gregory, children diabetes specialist

A Diabetes UK survey last year also showed paediatric diabetologists were not available in just under a quarter of primary care trusts.

Children diabetes specialist Dr John Gregory, a fellow of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, agreed children were not always been cared for by specially-trained doctors.

"Funding is an issue but it is also a question of geography, in rural areas it is sometimes just not viable to have specialist doctors."

Focus

But he also said doctors face specific problems treating children with diabetes, particularly teenagers.

"They are not the easiest of groups to work with. The teenage years are years of rejection of authority.

"We don't know what is the best way to help motivate a teenager to manage their diabetes properly."

Annwen Jones, the chief executive of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, said she was concerned by the findings.

"It is also imperative that focus is given to finding a cure through research, so that children no longer face the daily regime of insulin injections, blood tests and constant worry about blood glucose levels."

The recent National Service Framework specifically called for primary care trusts to make blood glucose monitoring a priority.

Sue Roberts, thegovernment's national clinical director for diabetes, said: "This audit will inform the way primary care trusts deliver and review services for people with diabetes.

"We expect all PCTs to have implementation plans in place to deliver the standards of care set out in the diabetes and children's National Service Framework.

"These NSFs set out standards to ensure that children and young people with diabetes receive a service which encourages them to be involved in decisions, helps them manage their diabetes and to adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle."