Richard Lane OBE, President of Diabetes UK, will visit Plymouth on Thursday 9th February 2012, to speak to local health professionals about living with Type 1 diabetes, islet cell transplantation and his role as President of Diabetes UK.
During his visit Mr Lane and the attending health professionals will also hear from members of the Diabetes Service team at Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, who will present an overview of the Plymouth Service, focussing on adult and childhood services as well as the diabetes research that happens in Plymouth.
According to Diabetes UK figures, since 1996 the number of people diagnosed with diabetes has increased to 2.9 million, which equates to 4.45% of population. It is thought that there are approximately one million undiagnosed cases of diabetes in the UK, and locally 1,000 new patients present in Plymouth every year. By 2025 it is estimated that over four million people will have diabetes. Most of these cases will be Type 2 diabetes, due to an ageing population and rapidly rising numbers of overweight and obese people. To manage and reduce the number of people dying from diabetes and its complications, we need to increase awareness of the risks, bring about lifestyle changes and improve self-management in people with diabetes and improve the access to integrated diabetes services.
Professor Jon Pinkney, Professor of Medicine at Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust said: “The adult diabetes service is very pleased to welcome Richard Lane, President of Diabetes UK. The adult diabetes service serves in excess of 10,000 people with diabetes and provides multidisciplinary care and specialist clinics every week both at Derriford Hospital and in the community. The service is proactive, integrating with primary care and providing support and care near to the patients’ home.
“In addition there is continued development in services and patient education. The diabetes dieticians work as part of the multidisciplinary team within the inpatient and outpatient setting. Their fundamental role involves giving individualised dietary advice, help and support in life style changes through one to one and group sessions. There is an excellent inpatient service leading the field in rapid assessment and management of patients with diabetes and speeding their discharge.
“We also have and excellent diabetic foot service that has a seamless approach from primary care and community providers through to the multidisciplinary diabetic foot clinic and inpatient management.”
Becky Smith, Consultant Paediatrician, added: “We are justifiably proud of the service we offer in Plymouth, with a strong team structure leading to our being consistently in the top two units in the country for HbA1C results in the national paediatric diabetes audit for the past 4 years1.
“In Plymouth the paediatric diabetes service is responsible for approximately 250 young people. These young people are at a high risk of developing complications of diabetes not least because of the length of time they have diabetes. The care they receive is paramount to ensuring they remain healthy and reducing the cost burden to the NHS.”