A message from our Chair Dr. Niti Pall
What a roller coaster the last few months have been, a world defined through the lens of a global COVID Pandemic!
Deep cracks in health inequalities have been exposed by the COVID pandemic; we have seen the evidence evolve around how people living with diabetes have been shown to be more at risk of the complications of COVID with increased mortality rates. Additionally, people with complications were disadvantaged when elective care was shut down and outpatient appointments were canceled.
As we move into the recovery and restoration of health services, it is vital that we look at what worked and harness the innovative new ways to access services without disadvantaging those that needed face-to-face appointments like retinal screening, foot care, etc.
We are working across the region to survey this and publish findings to help our advocacy work in this vital phase of recovery. During our EASD Symposium in September, we will take a deeper look at how multidisciplinary teams can support quality care. We will also continue working with other European organisations and reaching out directly to policymakers to ensure the lessons from COVID-19 are not forgotten.
Our Young Advocates Group, YOURAH, has done an amazing job in these COVID times to continue nurturing new advocates and ensuring their voice is heard. They have developed a totally new online leadership development programme, the Youth Leadership Lab, and are also driving the development of publications to support all people living with diabetes.
The Board and I very much look forward to exchanging with our Members during our virtual TEAM meeting in October, discussing the results of the survey we conducted earlier in the year and working together on our set of priorities for next year.
Dr. Niti Pall - Chair, IDF Europe
IDF EUROPE’s COVID-19 INITIATIVES
COVID-19 has had a major impact on people living with diabetes. Besides the heightened risk of developing a serious form of the disease, the disruption caused by COVID-19 to healthcare systems has reduced the latter’s ability to ensure timely diabetes diagnosis and provide adequate continuity of care, notably for complications screening. In turn, this has negatively affected people’s ability to manage their diabetes effectively. This has been compounded by the burden associated with lockdown measures imposed in many countries, which have, at times, constrained people’s ability to exercise or eat healthily and caused some psychological distress.
In response to this, IDF Europe has developed or made available a number of resources shared by its Members.
IDF EUROPE'S DIABETES & COVID-19 SURVEY
IDF Europe has launched two major surveys – one for people living with diabetes and the other one for healthcare professionals. The surveys are designed to map the challenges faced by people living with diabetes and their relatives/carers. The surveys are available in most of IDF Europe’s Member Associations’ languages. We warmly thank our associations for their work in translating the surveys and we encourage you to distribute them across your networks as widely as possible.
THE IDF EUROPE BOARD APPROVES A NEW OPERATIONAL PLAN FOR THE PERIOD 2020-2022
In March 2020, following a consultation process with its Member Associations, IDF Europe’s Board Members approved a new Operational Plan for the period 2020-2022.
ON ITS 10TH ANNIVERSARY THE YOUTH LEADERSHIP CAMP GOES VIRTUAL
For the past ten years, the IDF Europe Youth Leadership Camp (YLC) has helped nurture some 150 youth diabetes advocates throughout Europe. In response to the COVID-19 crisis, this year’s camp edition has been transformed into the “Youth Leadership Lab” (YLL), an online-based leadership development programme lasting four months.
NEW STRUCTURE FOR THE YOURAH GROUP
Earlier in the year, YOURAH, IDF Europe’s Youth Advocates Network which was launched in 2017, adopted a formal operating framework and elected three Members to its Steering Committee, in charge of driving the network.
IDF EUROPE’S REGIONAL COUNCIL AND TEAM MEETING TO TAKE PLACE VIRTUALLY IN 2020
Reflecting on the impact of COVID-19 across Europe, and ongoing uncertainties around the organisation of live events, the IDF Europe Board has taken the decision to hold both the Regional Council and the TEAM meeting online. The TEAM meeting will take place on 22 October 2020 between 15.00-16.30 CET as a “Ask your Board” session where Members will be invited to exchange ideas and ask questions to the IDF Europe Board and fellow IDF Europe Members. The Regional Council will be held on 24 November between 15.00-16.30 CET. More information on the organisation of these meetings will be shared shortly.
Member News
To promote member news closer to the time when they happen, the Member News section of the newsletter has now been moved to a dedicated page on the IDF Europe website. All members are invited to inform us of their planned events, as well as share with us a summary and photos of the events after they have taken place, at news@idf-europe.org. As of September 2020, member news will also be promoted through IDF Europe’s social media channels for improved visibility.
IDF EUROPE ADVOCACY & COMMUNICATIONS WORK
IDF Europe has been very active since the beginning of the year in redefining and reinvigorating its advocacy actions. A revised strategy has now been reviewed by the IDF Europe Board, and will be published shortly. IDF Europe has also participated in a number of initiatives highlighted below.
IDF Europe launches a major outreach campaign to policy makers around the new proposed EU4Health programme - Read more
IDF Europe launches a consultation with its Members on the Pharmaceutical Strategy for Europe - Read more
Professor Lalic participates as commentator in a WHO Peer-to-Peer Webinar on Diabetes Services during COVID-19 - Read more
On the occasion of International Youth Day, IDF Europe supported the voice of Youth Living with Diabetes with the publication of an Open Letter to EU leaders, calling for them to guarantee a more youth-friendly European Union and step up dialogue with young people living with diabetes - Read the open letter here
To mark World Humanitarian Day, IDF Europe interviewed Sandro Gentile, Professor of internal medicine, who shared some of the protocols he adapted during the COVID crisis - Read the full interview here
IDF EUROPE’S PUBLICATION WORK
Last year, alongside its traditional publications, IDF Europe started developing a new range of “awareness papers” designed to support people living with diabetes and/or healthcare professionals in managing various aspects of life with diabetes.
The latest paper, Nutrition and Physical Activity during COVID-19, outlines basic recommendations on eating and exercising well for optimal diabetes management, generally, and specifically in COVID-19 times.
Another paper, published earlier in the year, examines how to manage diabetes while ill (Sick day rules for people with diabetes). A further two awareness papers will be published later in the year, “Travelling with diabetes” and “Hypoglycaemia”, both of which under the direction of the YOURAH group.
IDF Europe is also working on a series of publications focusing on innovation in the field of therapeutics, technologies, and delivery of care. Two of these publications are planned for release in late 2020 and one in 2021.
IDF Europe EASD Symposium - The Future of Diabetes Nursing
This year’s Symposium, which will take place on September 21 from 14.30 to 15.30 CET, will be a virtual event and will focus on the evolving role of the diabetes nurse across Europe - Read more here
World Diabetes Day
As in previous years, on World Diabetes Day (14 November), IDF Europe plans to organise an event, with the support of key MEPs actively engaged in diabetes advocacy within the EP and in collaboration with the German organisation, Verband der Diabetes-Beratungs- und Schulungsberufe (VDBD) and the Foundation of European Nurses in Diabetes (FEND) - Read more here
European Chronic Disease Alliance (ECDA) - In the first half of the year, IDF Europe participated in the ECDA Paper on Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, as well as in a statement on the EU Green Deal, a paper on the Health Learnings of COVID-19 and COVID-19, Chronic Diseases and EU Health Capacity. Read more
EU Health Coalition - IDF Europe worked with the EU Health Coalitions on several letters, statements and position papers, including one on the need for an ambitious EU4Health Programme, and one on the need for health ministers to keep a pivotal role in the EU Recovery Instrument negotiations. IDF Europe is also contributing to the organisation of the second edition of the EU Health Summit which will take place virtually on October 26. Read more
European Patients’ Forum (EPF) - IDF Europe has been an EPF member for several years now and is pleased to announce that IDF Europe Board Member, Stella de Sabata, was one of five ever-elected Members of EPF’s Ethics Committee, when it held its Annual General Meeting on April 25. Read more
EU Health Policy Platform (EUHPP) - Through EUHPP, IDF Europe, represented by Ana Lucia Covinhas from Associação Protectora dos Diabéticos de Portugal (APDP) has started engaging with a temporary network of European not-for-profit organisations to discuss and share knowledge and practices on COVID19-related mental health issues, “COVID-19: mental health support” stakeholder network. Read more
Health First Europe (HFE) - Prof. Dr. Tatjana Milenkovic, IDF Europe Board Member and President of Macedonian Scientific Association of Endocrinologists and Diabetologists gave a talk during the first Webinar of the EU Health Policy Platform 2020 Thematic Network on “Profiling and Training the Healthcare Workers of the Future”. Read more
European Diabetes Forum (EUDF) - IDF Europe is delighted to have joined the European Diabetes Forum (EUDF), where it will represent the voice of people living with diabetes. Read more
IDF EUROPE OFFICE
IDF Europe welcomes the appointment of four interns
IDF Europe was pleased to welcome three new interns in July, who joined Maartje Roskams, who is supporting the YOURAH group, in the office. Meet our staff here.
