LTB 596/17 – World Diabetes Day 2017 – 14 November 2017
No. 596/2017
6 November 2017
Our Ref: PU5
World Diabetes Day 2017 – 14 November 2017
To: All Branches
Dear Colleagues,
World Diabetes Day falls on 14 November every year. It’s a day when millions of people around the world come together to raise awareness of diabetes, and what it’s really like to live with the condition. It’s a global campaign led by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) with activity taking place around the world.
Join the fight for a better future
The campaign aims to create a world where diabetes can do no harm, and there’s real hope for better treatment, research and understanding of diabetes, but the campaign needs support. They want to add voices to thousands of others and join the fight for a better future for people living with diabetes. Help spread the word on Twitter and Facebook on World Diabetes Day. Your voice will help to make better diabetes care, research and understanding a reality.
International Diabetes Federation website
Helpline
Ready and waiting to help. Specialist information and advice on all aspects of living with diabetes. Get in touch for answers, support or just to talk to someone who knows diabetes.
Diabetes UK know that living with diabetes is tough. They know it doesn’t give you a day off and also know how to make life with diabetes a little easier. The Diabetes UK Helpline is staffed by trained counsellors who really understand diabetes. They can provide information about the condition, take time to talk things through and explore emotional, social, psychological or practical difficulties.
England, Wales & NI
Call: 0345 123 2399*, Monday to Friday, 9am – 6pm
Email: helpline@diabetes.org.uk
Scotland:
Call: 0141 212 8710*, Monday to Friday, 9am – 6pm
Email: helpline.scotland@diabetes.org.uk
15 Healthcare essentials
What are the 15 Healthcare Essentials? The 15 Healthcare Essentials is the minimum level of healthcare everyone with diabetes deserves and should expect.
You can use this list to talk to your healthcare team about your individual needs as part of your annual care planning review. This is where you should agree your priorities, discuss your personal targets and agree a written plan of action to help you reach them.
- Get your blood glucose levels measured (HbA1c blood test)
- Have your blood pressure measured
- Have your blood fats measured
- Have your eyes screened for signs of retinopathy
- Have your feet and legs checked
- Have your kidney function monitored
- Get ongoing, individual dietary advice
- Get emotional and psychological support
- Be offered a local education course
- See specialist healthcare professionals
- Get a free flu vaccination
- Receive high-quality care if admitted to hospital
- Have the chance to talk about any sexual problems
- If you smoke, get support to quit
- Get information and specialist care if you are planning to have a baby
If you aren’t getting all the care you deserve, take it up with your GP or to your local NHS and diabetes services and discuss it with them. If you need help call the Diabetes UK
Helpline (See Above).
Living with diabetes
See information at https://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/diabetes/Pages/diabeteshome.aspx
Diabetes Education
Diabetes education courses make living with diabetes easier. Whether you have Type 1 diabetes or Type 2 diabetes, it can feel like there is a lot to learn. But going on a course can help you understand what diabetes is and how it affects your body. People who have been on a course feel more confident about looking after their condition and are less likely to suffer complications. In fact, attending a course is one of the 15 Healthcare Essentials, the essential health checks and services that everyone with diabetes should be getting from their healthcare team every year. The courses are friendly and welcoming. They give you the chance to ask questions and meet people who are going through the same experience as you. Everyone in the UK with diabetes should be offered a free diabetes course by their doctor, nurse or consultant. Whether you’re newly diagnosed or have had diabetes for a while, make sure you ask for a referral to a course from your GP of NHS Diabetes Service.
What courses are there? These are some of the main diabetes courses available in the UK:
DAFNE: for people with Type 1 diabetes. Learn how to estimate the carbohydrates in each meal and inject the right dose of insulin, so you can fit diabetes into your own lifestyle
DESMOND: for people with Type 2 diabetes. Helps you understand your diabetes, make food choices and take control.
X-PERT Diabetes Programme: for people with Type 2 diabetes. Explore how diabetes affects your body and how lifestyle changes can help you manage your diabetes.
There are also a number of locally based courses – so do ask your healthcare professional about the different options relevant to you. If possible, Diabetes UK recommend that you attend a course that meets national quality standards set out by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (known as NICE) – if in doubt ask your healthcare professional.
New improvement fund for diabetes in England
NHS England announced a £40m national fund to improve diabetes services in four priority areas:
- Improving the uptake of structured education for people with diabetes
- Improving the achievement of the NICE recommended treatment targets
- New or expanded multi-disciplinary footcare teams (MDFTs)
- New or expanded diabetes inpatient specialist nursing services (DISNs)
Yours sincerely
Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer