We’ve launched a new partnership with the Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC) to raise awareness of the links between diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
By working together, we can support people living with diabetes to take action to protect their long-term health, such as through having their annual diabetes health checks, which provide vital opportunities to identify problems early, reducing the risk of complications.
We can also find more people at high risk of type 2 diabetes and encourage more people to understand their risk through our Know Your Risk tool, supporting our wider prevention and annual campaign activity.
We will be working over three years with the DHSC as part of a new national strategy, the Cardiovascular Disease Modern Service Framework (MSF) in England, to reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease for millions of people with diabetes.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is responsible for one in four premature deaths in the UK and this strategy aims to cut those by 25% over the next decade. We are one of a series of charities the DHSC will be working with to achieve this goal.
When you live with diabetes you're more at risk of CVD, which is the general name for a group of conditions that affect your heart and blood vessels. This can lead to heart attacks, angina and strokes.
CVD affects your circulation too, and poor circulation can make other diabetes complications worse, like problems with your eyes and feet. That’s why it is vital to take care of your heart if you live with diabetes.
What does the Government’s strategy set out to do?
The MSF identifies the actions that local health and care systems should take to cut premature deaths from stroke and heart disease, improve lives and reduce inequalities.
To achieve their goals, the MSF sets out that local systems should prioritise:
- Finding the missing millions of people who are living with the leading risk factors for CVD and don’t know it, such as those undiagnosed with type 2 diabetes, or those with cardiovascular disease that aren’t being managed well enough, before it leads to serious illness.
- Driving improvements in care for people with conditions such as all types of diabetes. to help reduce their risk of serious complications, including heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular conditions. It outlines the importance of people with diabetes getting equitable access to diabetes health checks and vital medications.
- Work to ensure people who have a heart attack or stroke receive faster, higher-quality treatment, and improve access to rehabilitation and ongoing support so people can recover well and return to everyday life.
The DHSC estimates that the framework’s successful implementation could prevent between 1,600 and 2,400 deaths from heart disease and stroke (in people aged under 75) in the first three years and between 3,850 and 4,900 such deaths after 10 years.
The DHSC will work with Diabetes UK and local health systems to engage with communities and help people at high risk of type 2 diabetes or CVD, spot risks earlier and know what action to take to protect their health.
What happens next?
We look forward to working with the Government on the delivery plan promised later in the year.
The DHSC will need to ensure national and local clinical leadership for CVD and diabetes is maintained, and that diabetes clinical networks are supported and funded in all local health systems. These are essential for coordinating prevention and treatment across primary, community and specialist care, driving innovation and ensuring good quality care reaches everyone who needs it.
Colette Marshall, Diabetes UK Chief Executive, said:
"We're pleased to be partnering with the Department of Health and Social Care to support its goal of reducing premature deaths from cardiovascular disease over the next decade.
"Diabetes can lead to serious complications, including heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular conditions – but the risk of these can be reduced if people have equitable access to high-quality care.
"We welcome the focus these new plans place on finding and supporting those at risk of type 2 diabetes and preventing the condition where possible. These improvements will also help people living with all types of diabetes manage their condition better and live longer, healthier lives."
