Today we will hand an open letter to the Prime Minister outlining our 10-year vision to transform diabetes prevention, care and treatment.
In early February, we revealed that one in five people are now living with either prediabetes or diabetes, and we have called on the Government to address the hidden health crisis we are facing in the UK, following years of rising diabetes prevalence.
At an event in the House of Commons today we will be launching our new ‘10 Year Vision: For diabetes prevention, care and treatment’, setting out a clear plan for the UK government about how it can improve health outcomes and tackle inequality for people living with diabetes by 2035.
The UK government will publish its 10 Year Health Plan in June, which will set out how the health service can make a shift from sickness to preventing ill health. If the government is to succeed with this aim, diabetes must be at the heart of its plans.
Following the event, our supporters will deliver to Number 10 Downing Street our open letter to the Prime Minister and Health Secretary outlining our calls for change, which has been signed by over 6,000 people.
Presenting our 10-year vision for diabetes care
We will be joined at the Parliamentary event by people living with diabetes, policymakers, MPs and healthcare professionals.
At the event, one of our campaign champions, Priya, will share her experiences about living with type 1 diabetes and the difference that the right care can make to enable people to live well, travel, work and have a family.
We will also hear from Alex McIntyre, the MP for Gloucester, on his experiences with the NHS Type 2 Diabetes Path to Remission Programme and how it has made significant difference to his health.
Our ‘10 Year Vision’ gives the government a clear plan for how it can improve health outcomes and tackle inequalities for people living with diabetes, and how this can be achieved by 2035. This vision involves:
- Stemming the rise in type 2 diabetes – improving our food environment and delivering high-quality support to help people reduce their risk of type 2 diabetes.
- Ensuring early and accurate diagnosis - which is key to setting people up to manage their diabetes and, in turn, preventing serious complications.
- Transforming diabetes care and treatment – to help people with diabetes live well. Most diabetes complications can be prevented with simple interventions like annual checks, access to the right treatments and technology, and a focus on reducing health inequalities.
- Accelerating innovation – Investing in diabetes research and ensuring new treatments and technologies are available to people with diabetes quickly.
Driving improvements in diabetes care and prevention will not only help people living with diabetes, but it will also help achieve many of the Government’s key priorities like preventing ill health, supporting economic growth and increasing the financial sustainability of the NHS.
With the 10 Year Health Plan, the Government now has the perfect opportunity to meet this challenge, head on. They can and must act now so no life is cut short by diabetes.
We will continue to engage with the Government over the next few months as it publishes and implements the 10 Year Health Plan and then into the rest of the year as we go to the party conferences to continue making the case for improving diabetes care and treatment.
Read our 10 Year Vision: For diabetes prevention, care and treatment.
