Case study

Running your own mini Measure Up Roadshow

by Peter Gilbert, Secretary, Fulham voluntary group

How about running your own, small-scale Roadshow? You could team up with a neighbouring voluntary group to help organise it. In autumn 2006 a volunteer from Fulham voluntary group did just that with local healthcare professionals and the Hammersmith voluntary group.

This is how they did it.

  1. We contacted our Local Health Authority (LHA) clinical diabetes lead to find out what plans the LHA may already have made and whether a Diabetes Specialist Nurse (DSN) could assist us by providing on-the-spot blood glucose monitoring.
  2. We contacted our local hospital’s senior DSN to find out whether her team could also assist.
  3. We established dates and times when the DSNs were available and arranged three-hour periods if possible, as shorter periods didn’t justify the time taken to get to/from the venue by the health care professional (HCP). Two volunteers to one HCP was the best ratio to get the maximum numbers tested at our event.
  4. We decided where we would hold the sessions to get maximum exposure to local people, for instance in shopping centres, hospital entrance halls, street markets, railway stations or at local events. We planned to appear at the same location at different times of day on different dates. Lunchtime or going home time seemed to provide the greatest flow of people.
  5. We ordered Measure Up leaflets, tape measures, a Diabetes UK tablecloth or banner, balloons, posters, lapel badges or sticky labels and a collection box from the Diabetes UK order line 0800 585 088 (see Measure Up order form and Supporter’s handbook pg.19). We also found out what the venue provided and found we needed to take a small table.
  6. We spoke to the management of the shopping centres and other areas where we wanted to hold the events at least one month prior to the event to obtain their agreement in writing to the dates and times we proposed. Note: They will usually required proof of liability insurance. The Volunteer Development team at Diabetes UK can provide proof of public liability insurance - contact volunteering@diabetes.org.uk The LHA may also be covered by insurance so check with the HCP. 
  7. We confirmed with the HCP that they would need to come prepared with blood glucose testing equipment including a pro-forma letter referring those whose blood glucose reading is over the recommended level to their GP for further tests.
  8. We set up a stand 15 minutes before the start time. We included contact details of local Diabetes UK voluntary groups to give to people we stopped who were already diagnosed with diabetes.
  9. We stopped people within the target audience of the Measure Up campaign (ie over 40s, and over 25s if they’re South Asian) and asked them “Would you like a free test for diabetes?”. If they were in a hurry and could not stop, we gave them a Measure Up leaflet. A number of those tested wanted to make a donation, so we made sure we had a clearly visible collection box on our stand.
  10. We got publicity in the local press for your campaign (see ‘Tell the local media about what you’re doing’ and ‘Attract a journalist to cover your event’ in the Measure Up ideas sheet). 

Between them, the Hammersmith and Fulham voluntary groups helped to run 14 of these 2.5- to 3-hour sessions over a six-week period.  A total of 870 people were tested, of whom 34, or 4 per cent, had raised blood sugar levels over 7.0 mmol/l.  £212 was also raised for Diabetes UK.