15th edition – Friday, October 10, 2014

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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'Giant leap' towards new diabetes treatment

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Hospitals raise awareness of hypoglycaemia

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Young people with diabetes receive fewer vital checks

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Wrong tack? – Dr Partha Kar’s latest blog post

So shall I dip my toe into this water? Challenge the RCGP and thereby the GPs...or are they a separate entity? Let me set my stall out at the very outset...don't know about politics but amongst the mates I have grown up with, those who are GPs, I see less of, they arrive late for the football games, look a bit more knackered, so this isn't a debate about who works hardest. Let me be perfectly honest, most GPs, I know work harder than me and are unlikely to have as good a work-life or as Mark Cheetham likes...work-family balance. That's not a condescending sop to balance for what I write below, but as I see it day in, day out. To read more, click here.

Rugby star backs Diabetes UK

England international rugby player Chris Pennell has been named as an official celebrity supporter for Diabetes UK.

The Worcester Warriors full-back will join a host of famous faces to promote the work of the UK’s leading diabetes charity, including the likes of former Olympian Sir Steve Redgrave, television presenter Phillip Schofield and X Factor winner Alexandra Burke.

PennellvExeter2As part of his role with Diabetes UK, Pennell will help to raise awareness of the condition and attend fundraising events across the country. To read more, click here.

'Giant leap' towards new diabetes treatment

Harvard stem cell researchers today announced they have made a giant leap forward in the quest to find a truly effective treatment for Type 1 diabetes.

With human embryonic stem cells as a starting point, the scientists are for the first time able to produce, in the kind of massive quantities needed for cell transplantation and pharmaceutical purposes, human insulin-producing beta cells equivalent in most every way to normally functioning beta cells.

Doug Melton, who led the work and who twenty-three years ago, when his then infant son Sam was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, has dedicated his career to finding a cure for the condition, said he hopes to have human transplantation trials using the cells to be underway within a few years. To read more, click here.

Hospitals raise awareness of hypoglycaemia

Almost 150 diabetes hospital teams took part in Hypo Awareness Week 2014.

The aim of the week, which ran from September 29 to October 5, was to raise awareness of hypoglycaemia in the inpatient setting to help hospital staff recognise and treat symptoms and refer patients to appropriate care teams.

A total of 148 sites, mainly UK hospitals, signed up to take part, which involved staging awareness events, training and running campaigns all geared up to promote the importance of hypoglycaemia.

This year Novo Nordisk was the official partner for Hypo Awareness Week 2014, with support from Diabetes UK and DESMOND. Portsmouth Hospitals launched it in 2012. To read more, click here.

Young people with diabetes receive fewer vital checks

People with diabetes aged under 40 receive fewer vital checks and hit treatment targets less often than older age groups, new figures show.

The National Diabetes Audit 2012-2013 presents findings for the care of over two million people in England and Wales with diabetes. It found that of 130,000 patients under the age of 40, only 29.1 per cent with Type 1 diabetes and 46.3 per cent with Type 2 diabetes received eight of the nine NICE recommended care processes.

The annual checks assess the effectiveness of diabetes treatment, as well as cardiovascular risk factors such as blood pressure (BP), serum cholesterol, body mass index (BMI) and smoking and the emergence of early complications. To read more, click here.

DIABETES DIGEST

Footcare network shares good practice

A network with a target of reducing unnecessary major amputations in people with diabetes by 50 per cent over the next five years met to share good practice.

More than 100 health professionals from across the north east and Cumbria involved in the care of people with foot problems connected diabetes attended the Northern Diabetes Footcare Network’s first Clinical Symposium held at the Durham Centre. To read more, click here.

Hairy Biker in fundraising challenge for JDRF

Si King – who is one half of Britain’s much-loved chef duo the Hairy Bikers – is revving up to raise funds for JDRF.

The cooking sensation, whose teenage son lives with Type 1 diabetes, has recently had a major health challenge of his own, having suffered a brain aneurysm earlier this year.

Having put on some weight during his recovery, Si has launched a six-week, weight-loss campaign with his Hairy Bikers Diet Club. By losing weight, Si will be reducing his risk of Type 2 diabetes. But he knows his son could have done nothing to avoid Type 1 diabetes – so he’s chosen JDRF to be the charity recipient of his campaign.

To read more, click here.

Audit highlights ‘systematic failure’ for Type 1 diabetes

A charity has labelled Type 1 diabetes as the “forgotten condition” in the NHS’s effort to combat the increasing impact of diabetes on the nation’s health.

The latest results National Diabetes Audit have raised concerns about the health of younger people (under 40) living with diabetes – of whom over 50 per cent have Type 1 – showing that they are far less likely to receive annual care processes or achieve basic treatment targets than those aged 40 and over.

Karen Addington, Chief Executive of JDRF in the UK, said: “The picture across all diabetes is certainly not good enough, but our healthcare system is particularly, and systematically, failing children and adults with Type 1 diabetes. They are living with a forgotten condition". To read more, click here.