Access to care in the spotlight for World Diabetes Day 2021
The world’s biggest diabetes awareness campaign was set up in response to the growing health threat posed by the condition, rates of which are above the England average in Bradford and continuing to rise, with parts of the area experiencing the highest prevalence diabetes in the country.
Dr Waqas Tahir, Clinical Diabetes Lead for the WY HCP and Bradford District and Craven System Programme, said: “It’s almost 100 years since Sir Frederick Banting and Charles Best discovered insulin - a medicine which has saved millions of lives around the globe and has been a catalyst for other life-changing initiatives.
“The last few years have also seen huge advances in the adaptation and take up of digital and remote technologies, providing alternatives for people to access the care and treatment they need to reduce the risk of or manage their diabetes.
"In West Yorkshire, for example, a third of GP practices are using Healthy.io allowing patients to use smartphone-powered home health technology to test for early signs of kidney damage. We also refer people to a number of national and local initiatives. This includes the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme, a free 12-week NHS Digital Weight Management Programme, and the Healthy Living app, a free online self-management support programme for adults with type 2 diabetes.”
The number of people in the UK living with diabetes is approaching five million with a further 12 million at risk. Around 350,000 people are living in West Yorkshire.
Dr James Thomas, WY HCP Chair of the Clinical Forum and Clinical Chair of Bradford District and Craven Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “Type 2 diabetes is on the rise and perhaps the biggest threat to people’s health in this country with more people having the condition than cancer and dementia combined. It’s serious and can be a killer, if left unchecked, increasing the risk of heart attacks, stroke, kidney disease and blindness. It is, however, largely preventable and we are using World Diabetes Day to promote the various ways in which people can recognise the signs and take action to reduce their risk.
“We can’t change our age, ethnicity or family history – but we can take action to reduce our weight, waist and blood pressure. Even the smallest change can have a massive difference on our overall health and wellbeing.
LINKS
You can show your support for World Diabetes Day in various ways, for example, shine a blue light, wear blue for the day, change your profile pic, contacting someone you know with diabetes, paint your nails blue or put the blue circle - the global symbol of diabetes - in your window. There’s also a World Diabetes Day app which you can download and use to take selfies and tweet photos. Remember to tag in @WYPartnership and use the hashtags: #WorldDiabetesDay and #LetsDiaBEATthis.
Visit Diabetes UK and the World Diabetes Day website for more information, resources, ideas and events.
