Do you want to improve diabetes services and care in your area? Campaign for change with Diabetes Voices.
Why campaign:
Campaigning is a way to tackle issues that matter most to you. Whether the issue is big or small, if it’s important to you, it’s more than likely important to other people too.
More and more decisions about the design and delivery of NHS care are being taken locally. This means that local campaigning is becoming more and more important. There are more opportunities than ever for you to influence and campaign for improvements in diabetes services and care. Diabetes UK also campaigns on national issues and needs your help to make these campaigns successful.
Here are some of the things you can do:
Take action on our national campaigns
Get involved in a Diabetes UK national campaign. We send regular email updates with all the different ways you can help us make a difference.
For the latest campaign news and actions visit the Take Action noticeboard.
Start your own local campaign
If you want to sort out local issues, such as closure of diabetes clinics or difficulties accessing important services, like for foot care, then you will need to start a local campaign.
When it comes to experience of local services you’re the expert. Local decision makers have a duty to listen to the people that use services. Your voice can be very influential in making change.
It’s amazing how much difference one individual or group can make - people’s lives have and are constantly being changed through campaigning. For some examples, see our Diabetes Voices’ stories.
First steps
The first step in starting a local campaign is identifying your issue. Get started by reading our simple patient checklist leaflet, Diabetes – what care you should receive (PDF, 164KB), which outlines 15 essential diabetes care measures.
Ask yourself, "Are you and other people you know being offered all 15 of the essential measures?" If not, it could be time to start campaigning.
We’ve put together a series of Guides and How To’s to help you make the changes you need in your area. To start planning your campaign, download How to start a local campaign (PDF, 173KB).
Local campaigning and Diabetes UK
We’re really keen to encourage campaigning on diabetes issues in whatever way we can. It is important to remember that local campaigns belong to you and not us.
There are legal reasons why you can’t use the Diabetes UK logo or name for local campaigns. You can use this to your advantage. It helps your campaign if it has its own look and feel that links it strongly to your area. The more locally focussed your campaign is, the more support you will get from local people and the more decision makers will pay attention.
Diabetes Voices will be most effective when people like you take the initiative and do things in their own way. We are always keen to hear about what’s happening, so keep in touch via diabetesvoices@diabetes.org.uk, or by calling 020 7424 1008.
For guidance on how Diabetes UK works with local campaigners download Diabetes Voices: Expectations in Working Together (PDF, 183KB).