The Taking Control campaign has had fantastic success in getting national commitment to prioritise diabetes education. Diabetes UK now wants local areas to commit to improve access to education in their area.
We hope to have more areas signed up to improve diabetes education very soon.
Croydon diabetes pledge site
We’re really excited that Croydon health chiefs have pledged to improve the number of people diagnosed with diabetes who attend education courses, and it all started thanks to a person with diabetes contacting their CCG on behalf of Diabetes UK.
Croydon has very high rates of diabetes, with 31,579 people living with the condition. Croydon CCG has now agreed to get at least 50 per cent of people newly diagnosed with diabetes, and half of the total population living with diabetes, onto a diabetes education course. These courses are potentially life-saving and can help people gain the knowledge, skills and confidence to manage their diabetes on a day-to-day basis, helping them take control of their diabetes.
David Dullighan, the commissioning programme lead for NHS Croydon CCG said: “Prevention and treatment of diabetes is one of our key priorities, given the high prevalence of diabetes among our local population. We recognise the importance of diabetes education programmes to give people with diabetes the confidence and skills to take control of their condition. We are committed to improving diabetes education”
Buckinghamshire pledge to improve diabetes education
Local health bosses in NHS Aylesbury Vale and Chiltern CCGs, along with Oxford Health Hospital in Buckinghamshire have now pledged to improve education for people with diabetes.
They are delivering improvements as part of their Live Well Stay Well NHS programme. They will provide free education courses for people with diabetes, as well as support through a smartphone app and over email.
Diabetes UK Service Champions for the local area, Terry Boreham and Steve Adamek played a vital role in getting commitment to improve diabetes education.
Terry said: “As a person who’s lived with diabetes for 30 years, this pledge combined with the new smartphone app, marks a great step forward in the services and outcomes for those people living with diabetes in Bucks. It shows how important it is to get patients, like me, involved in local decision-making. It can really make a difference.”
Steve added: "It is important for people with diabetes to realise that without understanding how to control the condition effectively, their risk of developing devastating irreversible complications is increased. Diabetes education courses are crucial in helping people manage their condition.”
If you live in Bucks you can find out more about local support here: www.livewellstaywellbucks.co.uk
This is the third local NHS area to sign up to sign up to the Diabetes UK pledge to improve education. We hope more will be added very soon.
Are you a Commissioner or Healthcare Professional?
Croydon CCG is the first area to make this bold pledge. If you would like to find out more about how you can drive improvement in diabetes education provision in your local area then go to our Shared Practice pages.
Or contact policy@diabetes.org.uk if you would like to pledge to improve education and we will provide support and share your success. We have a range of support available to help you boost attendance.
