The local NHS is joining forces with Diabetes UK to mark World Diabetes Day 2019 on 14th November.
Diabetes UK, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough CCG and partners will be hosting a World Diabetes Day event in Ely Library between 9.30am and 4pm, to raise awareness and to provide guidance to the public about this serious condition.
Local leisure centre staff will be on hand to showcase opportunities to exercise, and the Everyone Health team will be present to offer NHS Health Checks to people who are eligible.
Currently 4.7 million people in the UK live with diabetes, and a new person is diagnosed every two minutes. Every week diabetes contributes to 169 amputations, 680 strokes, and 530 heart attacks. Research suggests that that as many as 46,000 people have been diagnosed with diabetes in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough CCG area. As well as the huge human cost of diabetes, this condition costs the NHS at least £10 billion a year – that is £27 million a day or £19,000 every single minute.
Jessica Randall-Carrick, GP and Clinical Lead for Diabetes at the Clinical Commissioning Group in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough said: “We are happy to be working with our colleagues at Diabetes UK as well as a number of other partners to host this important event in Ely on 14 November. Diabetes can be a terrible illness that contributes to the premature death of thousands of people every year, and which can have serious long-lasting health impacts for hundreds of thousands more.
“There are a number of factors that can affect a person’s risk of diabetes, including being overweight and certain lifestyle choices. It is important to us that we use this opportunity to inform and provide guidance to communities in our local area to create a better understanding of this serious illness, and to learn how to achieve remission if they have already been diagnosed.”
Diabetes UK and the CCG are keen to show people what they can do to get healthier, be more active and lose weight if overweight, this can potentially prevent or delay people developing Type 2 diabetes in the future. Keeping to a healthy weight and moving more can also help people better manage their condition and reduce the risk of complications. Some people who have achieved large weight loss have put their Type 2 diabetes into remission.
The World Diabetes Day 2019 event in Ely will be an important opportunity for the local community to learn more about the impact of diabetes, to get a better understanding of what care is available and to find out what every one of us can do to reduce our risk of Type 2 diabetes. The event is open to all; whether you have diabetes, know someone with diabetes or would like to know more about the healthy life choices you could be making to potentially prevent yourself from developing Type 2 diabetes.
Brioni Maker, Diabetes UK East of England Improving Care Manager, said:
“It will be a great opportunity to learn how to manage your diabetes well if you live with the condition and reduce your risk of developing serious complications in the future.
“We will also be able to help people check their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and talk to them about healthier steps they can take now and for the future.”
There are two main types of diabetes. The most common one is Type 2 and 90 per cent of people with diabetes have Type 2 and the number being diagnosed is increasing dramatically.
The increase in obesity rates is the main driver behind so many more people living with Type 2 diabetes in the UK. Three in five adults in England are overweight or obese, and while not every case of Type 2 diabetes is caused by excessive weight, it is the single greatest risk factor for developing the condition.
Press release from Ely Library
You must be logged in to post a comment.