Latest news with #DiabetesUKCymru
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Diabetes scheme reduces risk of condition by quarter
A diabetes prevention programme in Wales could reduce the risk of developing the condition by nearly a quarter, research has shown. But the all-Wales programme "doesn't currently live up to its name" as it only operates in parts of Wales, a charity said. Diabetes affects more than 220,000 people in Wales with projections it could rise by 22% over the next decade. Rachel Burr, head of Diabetes UK Cymru, said NHS costs had also risen and called for money to be invested in patients before they start to live with the condition. The Welsh government said funding has been allocated this year to make further progress in embedding delivery in core activity and rolling it out across Wales. Following a pilot in two parts of Wales, in 2022 the gradual roll out began with 35 of the 60 primary care clusters in Wales, prioritising areas in each health board with a high prevalence of type 2 diabetes. Funded by the Welsh government but provided by health boards, it has now been offered to more than 10,000 people across Wales. "So many people in Wales will not have access to this programme currently and that's an inequity – its not fair," said Ms Burr. "We want everyone to have access to the same level of support and care because diabetes is such a serious condition. "It's actually at crisis levels in Wales and continuing to rise and we need to make sure we're getting people the help they need before they develop diabetes if possible." David Weekes from Swansea has been among those to benefit from the prevention programme. The 67-year-old only discovered he was pre-diabetic when he went to the GP about an unrelated rash on his knees, and was sent to see the prevention team in Penclawdd. "We talked about my diet and exercise and I went back for a follow-up appointment this year," he said. "In that time I have lost 2st 1lb (13kg). I stopped eating as many biscuits and cakes and I now go to the gym every day. "I feel a lot better in myself for doing it and my glucose levels have come right down." Ms Weekes said while he was not unfit before, it gave him the warning "I needed". "I now cycle seven days a week, for about 15-16 miles (25km), and I do weightlifting in the gym." The scheme uses a blood test, called an HbA1c test, to identify those at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes by measuring their average blood sugar levels. Those with levels between 42-47 millimoles per mole are classed as at increased risk and offered a 30-minute appointment with a healthcare support worker, where information and support is provided. A follow up appointment then takes place a year later. Dr Sarah Davies, a GP in Cardiff and primary care lead for diabetes in Wales, said blood tests would often identify someone is borderline for type 2 diabetes, but "until now we haven't had anywhere we can refer those individuals to get that support". "Primary care is on our knees and under-resourced across Wales. So sometimes those patients haven't received much in the way of information about pre diabetes. "That's why I so welcome this program to enable us to refer these individuals into a community service. "I'm hoping now that we've got this study that clearly demonstrates the benefits, this will support more widespread funding for this innovative program here in NHS Wales." She added that patients sometimes feel shame attached to being told they are pre-diabetic. "There's a lot of blame associated with it, which is not the case. There's many reasons why people end up living with overweight, obesity and at risk of type two diabetes, many complex environmental, genetic reasons. "So sometimes people don't want to face up to it, but actually giving one to one support via this program is a lovely way to be able to give an individualized approach." Alisha Davies, head of research and evaluation at Public Health Wales, said results have shown the programme has been been effective in "stalling and reducing progression" to diabetic blood glucose levels. She said "robust monitoring and evaluation" will help to understand its impact over time on "an important preventable disease in Wales". Staff from one primary care cluster in Swansea have also taken the screening to a local mosque to identify those who are either pre-diabetic or have undiagnosed diabetes. Dr Wynn Burke said: "Our practice population includes a significant Asian community who are known to be at higher risk of diabetes from a much younger age. "We do a lot of diabetes screening in high-risk individuals as part of our normal practice. "However, the percentage of our practice population with a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes remains below the expected ratio, therefore we sought to reach out and bridge potential health inequalities." Caroline Ashwood, an advanced nurse practitioner at SA1 Medical Centre, said around a fifth of the 140 people screened over three days so far had been identified as pre-diabetic, and three had diabetes. "Swansea Mosque is based within our (cluster area), and it is one of the largest in the UK with around 10,000 members, so this was a great opportunity to bridge health inequalities," she said. "The team at Swansea Mosque were equally proactive in working together. They set up the online booking system and supported us on the screening days we have already carried out." The Welsh government said: "We know preventative support makes a real difference in reducing the risk of people with prediabetes developing type 2 diabetes, and funding from a variety of sources has been used to develop and extend the programme. "To ensure more people across Wales can benefit from early support, funding has also been allocated this year to make further progress in embedding delivery in core activity and rolling out across Wales." There are more than 220,000 people in Wales with diabetes – predominantly with type 2 which is preventable – and the numbers have steadily risen in Wales. Projections by Public Health Wales (PHW) suggest that without intervention, by 2035 there will be a 22% rise in those numbers. The figures are higher among older people and men, though Diabetes UK Cymru said they were seeing more cases of people under 40 developing the condition. PHW research shows the cost and volume of medicines prescribed for diabetes has been steadily increasing over the last decade. The cost of medicine ingredients alone has risen 56% in the last five years and is now over £90m in Wales, partly because of the increase in the numbers of items prescribed. There were also 90,000 hospital admissions attributed to diabetes in Wales during 2021/2022. Type 2 diabetes is where the body does not produce enough insulin, or the body's cells do not react to insulin properly. Healthy eating, regular exercise and a healthy body weight reduce the risk of developing it. The condition can cause excessive thirst, tiredness and the need to go for a wee a lot. It can also lead to complications like heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, retina damage and foot problems if not managed well.
BBC News
06-02-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Diabetes: Record type 2 numbers raise fears of 'hidden crisis'
One in five adults in Wales is living with diabetes or prediabetes, new data 226,000 people have diabetes in Wales, while another estimated 269,000 people have prediabetes, which, left untreated, can develop into type 2 UK, which released the figures, said the figures highlighted a "hidden health crisis" and called on the Welsh government to tackle the crisis "head-on".The Welsh government said they were very concerned about the rising levels and that they have invested £1m a year to support a prevention programme as part of a 10-year strategy. About 90% of people who are living with diabetes in Wales are living with type 2 diabetes, Rachel Burr, national director for Diabetes UK Cymru, told BBC Radio Wales 2 diabetes has a wide variety of causes including age, ethnicity and family history, but one of the leading risk factors is living with to a person's lifestyle and support to help delay or prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes is key, Ms Burr said, as well as treatment once diagnosed with the 1 diabetes, a lifelong condition which cannot be prevented and for which there is no cure, affects 8% of people in Wales. About 60,000 people are also living with undiagnosed type 2 diabetes, Ms Burr Gane, co-founder Cwmbach diabetic support group in Rhondda Cynon Taf, also said people with diabetes were often not aware of the care they should be receiving."We need to catch people with all kinds of diabetes as early as possible," Ms Gane said."I can't stress enough the importance of peer support. You really do need to be able to chat to some people who have actually gone through what you're going through," she Gane said more support was also needed in the community to help people eat healthily."You need to know the things you can eat and to make healthy choices. "But that is dependent on what money comes in. We have people here who have to go to food banks," she added that in areas of deprivation such as the Cynon Valley where she works, the prevalence of diabetes was high, making the need for support in the community even higher. This could include cooking sessions or advice on how to eat healthily on a budget, she said."If you haven't got much money, life is not so easy to make the healthiest of choices," she said. Frightening rise in prevalence Ms Burr said the rise of prevalence of diabetes was "really quite frightening at the moment"."For people living with diabetes, it's a life-changing thing. It affects they day-to day life all the time," said Ms Burr."Diabetes can go on to cause some really quite horrible complications; things like heart attacks, like strokes, kidney disease, sight loss," she charity has written an open letter to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care Jeremy Miles, calling on the Welsh government to "tackle this crisis head-on".It also wants investment in care in order to help prevent complications and the provision of annual diabetes checks.A focus on improving the food environment in Wales, which the government is already tackling through the Healthy Weight: Healthy Wales strategy, was crucial, Ms Burr said."We need to urgently find those people who are unaware that they are living with diabetes or type 2 diabetes, making sure they are getting the right support at the earliest opportunity."
