IDF Europe newsletter - February 2022

In these devastating times, IDF Europe stands united with the people of Ukraine and calls for a peaceful and swift resolution to the conflict. Access to medicines and healthcare is a human right and the provision of life-saving humanitarian relief must be guaranteed. We commend the resolve of healthcare professionnals and people living with diabetes in Ukraine as well as those who have had to seek refuge in other countries. We are deeply impressed with their commitment to ensure continuity of care and access to insulin, other diabetes medications and supplies to all in need. It is thanks to them that the international diabetes community can unite to address the most urgent needs. We also thank the many associations across Europe which have offered their support and member associations in neighbouring countries, including Poland, Romania, Hungary, Moldova and Slovakia, which are actively engaged in organising and coordinating support for Ukrainian refugees living with diabetes arriving in their country. The solidarity network that has been set up since the very first day of the conflict is an inspiration to all of us.

To know more about how you can join or support our efforts, visit @ https://www.connectsolidarity.eu/

IDF EUROPE YOUTH PROGRAMME

Call for Applications for the IDF EUROPE Youth Leadership Lab is now open!

Between 2011 and 2019, IDF Europe organised annual Youth Leadership Camps (YLC). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Youth Leadership Labs took place in both 2020 and 2021 to continue IDF Europe’s aim to nurture, support and empower young emerging leaders and keep a strong connection with the community and youth network, although being online.

With a strong focus on ‘learning-by-doing’ and input from both expert guest speakers and fellow youth leaders, the aims of the YLC and YLL are to motivate young leaders to advocate for better care, education and quality of life and to create projects that will have a positive impact on local, national and European diabetes communities.

Reflecting on the success of both initiatives, we are delighted to announce that this year, IDF Europe decided to adopt a hybrid approach, which will consist of one opening session and three online modules over three months (April–June) followed by an on-site Youth Leadership Camp in Krotoszyce, Poland, from 10 to 16 July 2022 (situation permitting).

We thank the Polskie Stowarzyszenie Diabetykow, for hosting it!
Click here to find out how to apply!

IDF EUROPE NEWS, ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS

People living with Type 2 Diabetes and their Healthcare Professional - A Successful Team?

IDF Europe’s newly established platform of people living with Type 2 diabetes (T2D) has identified the quality of the relationship between PwD and their main healthcare professional (HCP) as the key priority to be addressed by the platform. Being informed and supported, heard and understood, and empowered to take control of their care is the very first step for PwD not only to understand the condition they will live with for the rest of their life, but also to stay motivated to put their health first and self-manage their diabetes as best they can on the good and on the bad days. How can HCPs and people living with T2D work together to achieve optimal health outcomes and quality of life?

A dedicated working group is being set up to work on this relationship and we are looking for participants (people living with T2D, specialists working with people living with T2D, and primary care professionals) to share their experience and co-develop recommendations to support an open and effective dialogue between PwD and HCPs. Interested? Please contact us at idfeurope@idf-europe.org. We look forward to hearing from you!

IDF Europe Twinning Programme

We are delighted to announce that 24 Member Associations have expressed their interest in participating in the IDF Europe Twinning Programme!

We believe that, with such great participation, this knowledge exchange programme will be an excellent opportunity for associations to maximise the impact of their activities by connecting, giving and receiving support.

We are looking forward to facilitating the programme and we will follow up soon with all participants to share the results of the mapping survey and more information on the next steps.

Learn more about the programme on our website.

IDF Europe Centenary of Insulin Campaign

Visit our new website: Insulin at 100 – IDF Europe and learn about the status of diabetes care in Europe, stay up to date with the centenary activities across Europe, research projects and innovations, and listen to the inspiring testimonials of PwD.

A social media campaign will soon be launched on this new platform in the context of our Centenary of Insulin Campaign; we will need your support and engagement. Stay tuned to find out how you can participate!

LET’S ACT TOGETHER - IDF Europe-Novo Nordisk European Diabetes Patient Advocacy Summit Series – Webinar 2

This webinar on online community building and advocacy was organised as part of the EDPAS' 4th edition, where IDF Europe and Novo Nordisk joined forces to explore how patient organisations can advocate towards different stakeholder groups to get diabetes (back) on the agenda.

On the theme of ‘Let’s act together,’ this Summit Series consists of two winter webinars and a two-day face-to-face summit to be held in the spring of 2022 in Copenhagen. The second webinar was held on February 3, 2021. The objective was to explore various aspects of online community building and the use of the online community for advocacy purposes.

After hearing interesting best approaches from three national diabetes association namely Diabetes DE (Germany), the French Diabetic Association (France) and the Zagreb Diabetes Association (Croatia) on community building and its use for advocacy purposes, Renza Scibilia, a T1D advocate and manager of T1D and communities at Diabetes Australia, and Danielle Drachmann a ketonic hypoglycaemia advocate and founder of Ketonic Hypoglycemia International, led a lively panel discussion.

Check out our webinar report here

APDP chooses the Ernesto Roma Foundation to be the Beneficiary of the Longstanding Achievement Prize

IDF Europe is delighted to announce that the Portuguese Diabetes Association (APDP), the winner of the Long-standing Achievement Award 2021, supported by Lilly Diabetes, has decided to donate the share of the prize money designated to a charitable purpose, to the Ernesto Roma Foundation (ERF).

The ERF is a non-profit organisation established in 2005 as a tribute to Ernesto Roma, the physician founder of the Portuguese Diabetes Association (APDP). The Foundation’s purpose is to implement projects dedicated to the education of people living with diabetes, and to support the training of healthcare professionals about this condition.

The ERF closely collaborates with APDP on various projects aimed at improving the lives of people with diabetes. Some examples of their activities include community-based interventions on diabetes prevention and diagnosis among vulnerable populations, workshops on diabetes care for children and elderly people, initiatives on the promotion of healthy eating habits as well as on the prevention of diabetes and diabetes-related complications, the latter in collaboration with the Portuguese Ismaili Community.

IDF Europe looks forward to further supporting and working with APDP and all its Member Associations across Europe over the coming years.

Click here to read more about the IDF Europe Long-standing Achievement Prize 2021.

NEWS FROM MEMBERS

APDP campaigns for migrants, refugees and ethnic minorities living with diabetes in Portugal

Integrating populations with different socio-cultural habits within a national care system often comes with challenges. Access to care and general well-being within these population groups are often hampered by language barriers, irregular legal status or unfamiliarity with the national healthcare system itself. In an effort to raise awareness of the issue as well as improve access, APDP’s “Access To Health - Diabetes” project aims to increase access to healthcare for migrant populations, refugees and ethnic minorities living with diabetes in Portugal. The project will be undertaken with the support of an APDP’s specialised multidisciplinary team.

Another APDP project is “Living with Diabetes”, taking place in the city of Matosinhos with the support of the national programme “Healthy Neighbourhoods”. The aim of this project is to raise awareness of diabetes with a view to improving diabetes prevention and treatment among populations residing in vulnerable or less developed territories.

APDP also recently launched a leadership programme for young Portuguese adults living with diabetes. The main objective of the “Young Leaders in Diabetes” programme is to train young adults to play prominent roles in society and advocate for their rights and interests. This initiative will take place at the Youth Hostel of Évora between September 3-7, 2022.

On the occasion of the Centenary of Insulin, the Armenian Association of Diabetes raised awareness of the need for improved access to diabetes care and healthy lifestyles

The Armenian Association of Diabetes recently held an event to draw attention to issues regarding the lack of access to insulin and other diabetes medicines in the country, and promoted the importance of leading healthy lifestyles.

Click here to read more.

Great Achievements for the Bulgarian Diabetes Association’s Bulgaria Against Diabetes Awareness and Training Initiative

The Bulgarian Diabetes Association is working with several other organisations to improve diabetes prevention and awareness. One project, “Vision is important – Examine yourself!”, allows people living with diabetes to get screened for eye diseases.

Another important initiative - "Bulgaria against Diabetes", aims to provide children living with diabetes with the same opportunities as their peers by training diabetes nurses and volunteers to provide and coordinate diabetes care in kindergartens and nurseries.

Click here to read more.

NEWS FROM EUROPE

European Medicines Agency updates its Framework on Engagement with Patients and Consumers, with the Objective to Strengthen the Patient Voice in its Regulatory Activities

In February 2022, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) updated its Engagement Framework on relations with patients, consumers and their representing organisations concerning medicines for human and veterinary use.

The objective of the framework is to ensure that the patient voice is included in a medicine’s lifecycle’s regulatory activities, with a view to improving the trust in the regulatory decision-making and in medicines placed on the EU market.

According to João Manuel Valente Nabais, IDF Europe representative at the Patients and Consumers Working Party, European Medicines Agency, ‘the input of people living with diabetes is a key added value to the discussions and recommendations provided by EMA as they are the end users of newly authorised medicines and technologies.’

To read more, click here.

WHO’s Executive Board recognises the urgency to tackle diabetes and other non-communicable diseases

On 27 January 2022, the Executive Board, having considered the reports of the Director-General on the political declaration of the third high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, recommended the Seventy-fifth World Health Assembly to adopt a number of actions and recommendations.

IDF EUROPE ADVOCACY AND COMMUNICATION WORK

IDF Europe holds a consultation with its Members Associations on Healthier Together: EU Non-communicable Diseases Initiative

On February 14, 2022, IDF Europe held a consultation with its Member Associations (MAs) in the EU, Norway and Iceland on Healthier Together:
EU Non-communicable Diseases Initiative. Through this Initiative the Commission aims to support EU countries in reducing the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs),

focusing on five key areas: diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, mental health and neurological disorders, and health determinants.

The initiative is based on a three-way collaboration between the European Commission, the Steering Group on Health Promotion, Disease Prevention and Management of NCDs (SGPP) representing national EU governments and pan-European diabetes stakeholders. For all to benefit from a strong coordinated push and to ensure EU funding is made available for diabetes, it is key to provide a critical mass of input, both from the national level to the EU (national diabetes associations in collaboration with their governments) and from the EU to the national level (pan-European stakeholders providing input and feedback to the Commission for presentation to the national governments). 

To read more about the initiative and how you can promote the priorities of the diabetes community, click here.

Close the Care Gap Campaign for World Cancer Day

“Where you live. Who you are. Where you come from. What you do. Who you love. These are called the social determinants of health, and they represent the many factors that can unfairly stand between a person and the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer" .

Closing the gap in cancer and NCD care requires us to understand and recognise the inequities that exist in access to care and in the prevalence of the disease according to socio-economic factors across the globe. Poverty is closely linked with NCDs as vulnerable and socially disadvantaged people who are at greater risk of being exposed to harmful lifestyles while, at the same time, having limited access to healthcare get sicker and die sooner. In a vicious circle, NCDs also further aggravate issues driven by poverty as high healthcare costs can quickly drain household resources. A global response is needed to tackle the existing silent pandemic of non-communicable diseases.

To read more about the campaign for World Cancer Day, click here

World Day of Social Justice puts a Spotlight on Poverty and Vulnerability of Workers in the Informal Sector

World Day of Social Justice is observed annually on February 20. Its 2022 theme is Achieving Social Justice through Formal Employment. Today, more than 60% of the world’s employed population (around two billion people) are part of the informal economy.

IDF Europe supports action that aims to tackle vulnerability, poverty, and inequalities as these socio-economic determinants also have far-reaching impacts on one’s health. According to José-Manuel Boavida, President of the Portuguese Diabetes Association (APDP): “Nowadays, the most important risk factors are social inequalities, poverty, climate change and the food industry”.

Read our full news item here

EU-FUNDED PROJECTS

DigiCare4You reviews the Evidence of Clinical and Cost-effectiveness of Health Interventions

IDF Europe is part of the five-year DigiCare4You Horizon-2020 EU funded project which aims to improve the early prevention and management of T2D and hypertension (HTN) via a community-based, person-centred solution, integrating both social and healthcare systems, supported by the use of digital tools. Much progress has been achieved over the past year in analysing the situation in the four intervention countries of the progress and developing an intervention plan. As part of this, project partners from La Trobe University, Baker Institute, University of Gent and NYU Grossman School of Medicine conducted a literature review on the evidence of clinical- and cost-effectiveness of mHealth interventions for the prevention and management of Type 2 Diabetes and Hypertension.

Meanwhile, the Sant´Anna School of Advanced Studies analysed the national health systems of Albania, Bulgaria, Greece and Spain, describing the existing policies for the prevention, screening and management of non-communicable diseases to determine the appropriate implementation strategy. More information on these studies can be found here on the DigiCare4You website.

Prof. Lois presents the Retinal Tests used in Recognised

IDF Europe is part of the four-year RECOGNISED project that is studying the biological mechanisms that cause structural and functional alterations in the retina in people living with T2D to determine whether these same pathways play a role in the events observed in the brain during the development of cognitive impairment and dementia.

Insights from Prof. Noemi Lois, a clinical professor of ophthalmology at Queen’s University, Belfast, and coordinator of the UK clinical studies, into the retinal diagnostics tests used in the RECOGNISED project can be found here on the RECOGNISED website.

MMD ACTIVITIES

MMD welcomes two new members - MEP Christine Schneider and MEP Romana Jerković!

In our role as the secretariat of the MEPs Mobilising for Diabetes, we are delighted to announce that two more MEPs have recently joined our interest group to boost European Parliament (EP) action to tackle the diabetes epidemic in the EU and improve the lives of the 33 million adults living with the condition today in the EU.