4th edition – Friday, May 9, 2014

Web Version

Forward

TABLE OF CONTENTS

•

TV doc calls for more 'respect' for diabetes

•

Nocturnal hypos linked to heart rhythm problems in Type 2 diabetes

•

Report says NHS missing chances to improve diabetes care and save money and lives

DO YOU HAVE A STORY TO TELL?

Get in touch

Email your diabetes stories to editor Oliver Jelley.

Join the expanding diabetes community on Twitter and follow us for the latest diabetes story updates at @DiabetesTimes.

'Sorry Gillian' – Dr Partha Kar’s latest blog post

“It was a wholly avoidable and tragic death of a vulnerable patient admitted to hospital for care but who died because of a lack of it”... so said Mr Justice Haddon-Cave while pronouncing the verdict on the case of Gillian Astbury. If you don’t know that name by now, then throw away all the leaflets you have collected about “safe patient care”, the courses you have attended learning about the 6 Cs or even joyfully pledging to be part of NHS Change Day. Because if you don’t know that name then all of what you have done are gimmicks and you have learnt nothing.

To read more, click here.

7-Day Diabetes Service – Ninjabetic's latest blog post

Diabetes patients in Portsmouth had good news this week as the diabetes department has finally been given the green light to have a 7-day service. What will this look like on paper? How exactly will this be done? At the moment I don’t know, but what I do know is that patient safely will be improved, therefore improving the overall quality of the patient experience.

Reflecting back over past experiences of inpatient care I would say that they have been… variable. I have, unfortunately, suffered from DKA (Diabetic Ketoacidosis – A dangerous and potentially life threatening complication) in the past, despite my best efforts to fend it off, resulting in hospital admissions.

To read more, click here.

TV doc calls for more 'respect' for diabetes

People with diabetes are not getting the “respect they deserve” amid other competing health priorities, according to TV’s Dr Hilary Jones.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Diabetes Times, the celebrity GP said: “We have got this significant condition which is getting a lot worse very quickly and we are only paying lip service to raising awareness and helping people manage it.

“We are not giving it the respect it deserves, we could do a huge amount more to prevent this significant condition.”

The health editor of ITV’s breakfast show, the recently-rebranded Good Morning Britain, has joined forces with Diabetes.co.uk to raise awareness of diabetes.

Diabetes.co.uk is the largest community for people with diabetes in Europe with nearly 100,000 members living with and affected by the condition. Together they also aim to provide education to the diabetes community via the website forum, which helps improve the lives of those with diabetes worldwide.

For the full story, click here.

Nocturnal hypos linked to heart rhythm problems in Type 2 diabetes

Night-time hypos may increase the risk of abnormal and potentially dangerous heartbeat rhythms in people with Type 2 diabetes on insulin therapy, according to a new study.

Woman sleepingThe research, published in the journal Diabetes, suggests the increased risk of abnormal rates and/or rhythms of heartbeat (arrhythmias) – particularly at night – may be a contributing factor for sudden cardiac death in those with Type 2 diabetes who are also at high cardiovascular risk. The findings may also shed light on sudden deaths in Type 1 diabetes patients, who often experience high rates of nocturnal hypoglycaemia.

For the full story, click here.

Report says NHS missing chances to improve diabetes care and save money and lives

The NHS is failing to learn from clear evidence that interventions to improve diabetes care can save the NHS money as well as give people with diabetes longer and healthier lives, according to a new Diabetes UK report that highlights a series of measures that improve care and reduce costs.

The new report shows that while the NHS is spending £10 billion per year on diabetes care, this money is too often being used ineffectively, with the vast majority spent on treating complications that could often have been prevented if the person had received good healthcare in the first place.

For the full story, click here.

DIABETES DIGEST

Friends smash £1m fundraising target with 230-mile cycle

A group of 70 friends have spent the bank holiday weekend cycling 230 miles from London to Paris, raising awareness and money for JDRF and the British Red Cross.

The three day challenge – which started in Twickenham and finished at the Eiffel Tower – was in aid of the Wellington £1 million Appeal launched in 2010 in support of both causes. Over £850,000 had been raised before the cycle challenge took place, and the gap needed to reach their £1 million target has finally been closed.

Organiser and participator in the cycle Oliver Rifkind – whose brother Leo lives with Type 1 diabetes.

For the full story, click here.

3,500 diabetes-related 999 calls in Wales

Ambulances rushed to the aid of people with diabetes more than 3,500 times in a year across Wales, latest figures show

The Welsh Ambulance Service reported 3,536 diabetes-related emergency calls were made for who needed rapid assistance from April 2012 to March 2013 – including 530 who were having fits or convulsions.

To read more, visit the Wales Online website.

Tesco launch ‘Big Collection’ for Diabetes UK

The Tesco Big Collection is taking place on 13–15 June 2014 in 300 large Tesco stores.

Volunteers are being sought. To take part, click here.

Our editor in charity run for diabetes

The editor of The Diabetes Times will be running 14 miles to raise funds for the InDependent Diabetes Trust (IDDT).

The charity is commemorating its 20-year anniversary by launching its £20 Challenge in a bid to generate much-needed funds by calling supporters to raise an ‘attainable’ amount.

Oliver Jelley, who launched The Diabetes Times in March, is taking on the challenge on Saturday, June 7.

For the full story, click here.