Diabetes UK North West has announced it is to work with the NHS across East Lancashire - NHS East Lancashire and NHS Blackburn with Darwen - on a new campaign to raise awareness of diabetes and ensure that the people who live with diabetes are receiving the healthcare the condition requires.
Currently, almost 27,000 people live with diabetes across East Lancashire and a further 7,800 have the condition but have not yet been diagnosed.
The East Lancashire Diabetes Awareness Campaign starts with a Healthy Lifestyle Roadshow in Hyndburn on August 20 and 21 and then other Roadshows will be held in Burnley and Pendle, concluding with a risk assessment education event in Blackburn. Healthy Lifestyle Roadshows raise awareness of the risk factors of Type 2 diabetes which include; being overweight, being over 40, having a large waist and being from a black or South Asian background, while also promoting a healthy lifestyle.
The Campaign also aims to give people living with diabetes an understanding of whether they are getting the right healthcare, through promotion of Diabetes UK’s 15 Healthcare Essentials (www.diabetes.org.uk/15-essentials), and the Putting Feet First campaign (www.diabetes.org.uk/Putting-feet-first). Diabetes UK’s 15 Healthcare Essentials outlines the 15 diabetes checks or services that every person with diabetes should receive or have access to and the Putting Feet First campaign aims to bring an end to the thousands of potentially preventable amputations affecting people with diabetes.
Julie Byron, Regional Manager for Diabetes UK North West, said: “We are delighted to have this opportunity to work with NHS organisations across East Lancashire to raise awareness of diabetes. Diabetes is a very serious health condition, with almost 8,000 people living undiagnosed with diabetes and a further 27,000 already diagnosed across East Lancashire.”
“We will be working in the heart of communities across East Lancashire to increase the rates of diabetes risk assessments, and to support East Lancashire healthcare professionals to ensure that people living with diabetes are receiving the care they need.”
Key dates: -
- 20 & 21 August Healthy Lifestyle Roadshow, Hyndburn
- 3 & 4 September Healthy Lifestyle Roadshow, Burnley
- 20 & 21 September Healthy Lifestyle Roadshow, Pendle
- End of September (dtbc) Bangor St Community Centres, Blackburn
Dr Tom Mackenzie, diabetes lead for NHS East Lancashire, said: “It’s fantastic news that Diabetes UK have decided to focus so much activity in East Lancashire to raise awareness of the condition, its symptoms and the risk factors for developing diabetes."
“NHS East Lancashire has already an established structured education programme within the county (XPERT & DAFNE) for people with diabetes and is also working with GPs to improve support for self management. This campaign will further help people realise that diabetes is a serious condition which we must work together in tackling in order to reduce the risk of complications and improve well being”
Diabetes UK will also be working with voluntary group members across the region to push the initiative and will also be supported by Diabetes Voices, Diabetes UK’s network for people who want to raise their voice to improve the lives of people living with diabetes across the UK, www.diabetes.org.uk/Voices.
For more information contact Diabetes UK North West on 01925 653281or email n.west@diabetes.org.uk.