Hello, my name is Adele.
The facts are startling - more people have diabetes in the UK than cancer and dementia combined. In West Yorkshire and Harrogate alone there are over 220,000 at risk of getting the condition with new diagnoses every day. The latest figures show that there were around 3,300 new cases from January to June 2020 - and that’s in lockdown when many people put off a trip to their GP.
Type 2 diabetes is serious and in the worst case scenario is a killer. Left untreated it can wreak havoc on our bodies and lead to all sorts of complications like a heart attack, kidney failure, blindness, nerve pain and stroke. It’s also the leading cause of lower limb amputation in the UK with around 150 cases every week. There’s the impact on our mental health too, as it doubles the risk of depression.
We need to start talking about diabetes more, understand how serious it is and make sure we recognise the early signs and symptoms of raised glucose levels in the blood. That way we can do something about it to halt, what is becoming, the rapid rise and rise of diabetes.
The simplest change can have a big difference
Unlike many other diseases there are lots of things we can do, often very simple lifestyle changes that can help prevent us from getting the full blown disease. Type 2 diabetes may be the biggest threat to health in the country – but it doesn’t have to be that way.
Take my mum, for example, who was diagnosed as pre-diabetic seven years ago when she was 67. Being pre-diabetic meant that her blood glucose levels were higher than normal, but not high enough to be called diabetes. It was a warning – and one which she couldn’t, and thankfully didn’t, ignore.
Mum wasn’t able to step up her exercise regime because of her limited mobility. But she could do something about the type and quantity of food she ate. Compare the size of a dinner plate used in the 1950s with those we regularly use today or walk into a coffee shop chain where the cups are more like buckets and you begin to realise that bigger portions are more the norm than the exception. The solution for mum was to make a small change and reduce her portion size – that way she could still eat everything she liked, just less of it, and she didn’t feel she was depriving herself of anything. So instead of having a big wedge of cheese she’d eat a matchbox size piece instead.
The results were incredible and she’s now in remission. Over a 12 month period she’d dropped 3kgs and her blood sugar went down from 48 to a healthier haemoglobin count (Hba1C) of 36. Generally speaking, you’re considered to be in the pre-diabetic range if you have Hba1C of between 42-47. Mum still has an annual check-up including a foot check and eye test but is staying well and most importantly, in control. Another positive was that dad also got his portion sizes reduced, something mum had been trying to do for years!
Signs and symptoms
For 15 years I worked in the field of cardiovascular disease and know too well that if you’re diabetic, you’re on a slippery slope and increased risk of clogging up your arteries, blood clots and coronary artery disease. But people are still largely unaware of the symptoms – and the devastating consequences it can have on our lives.
If it’s so easy to prevent diabetes why aren’t more people making better and healthier lifestyle choices to move more and control what they eat? Maybe it’s because we don’t recognise the early signs, maybe we think the answer is simply taking a pill (it isn’t) or maybe we simply accept that the population at large is getting bigger and that’s become the norm.
If we get a lump that we can’t explain or feel pains down our left hand side most of us would get ourselves checked out as soon as possible as we know these could be signs of cancer or a heart attack. The signs of diabetes aren’t so obvious. Most of us probably know that feeling parched or visiting the loo to wee a lot could be signs. But we’re perhaps less aware that if we cut ourselves and the wound takes ages to heal, or we feel constantly fatigued, our vision is blurred or we’re eating but still feel excessive hunger pains are also common signs. And even if we are aware, how many of us would feel compelled to get checked out? We’re more likely to ignore it or self-medicate for a different condition.
Building healthier lives together
We’re on a mission to identify everyone in West Yorkshire and Harrogate who is at risk of developing type 2 diabetes - and give a helping hand to those who already have it to manage the condition and prevent serious complications. By making sure people who are at risk or high risk receive the appropriate advice, care and support we can help prevent or delay type 2 diabetes.
By building better awareness and creating more assertive and knowledgeable patients we want to make sure we all know as much about the dangers posed by unhealthy lifestyles and the link to diabetes as we do about smoking and drinking too much. We have a plan too. This involves working together with like-minded partners to carry out a range of initiatives aimed at preventing diabetes and building healthier lives.
Those initiatives are paying off. For example, we’ve been working with GP practices to make sure they have all the information they need to identify and write to pre-diabetic patients offering them a place on the National Diabetes Prevention Programme. Once on the programme they can access tailored and personalised support aimed at significantly lowering their chances of developing type 2 diabetes. Coronavirus isn’t stopping the sessions as programmes are currently running virtually and there’s a digital app which can be downloaded too.
We’re seeing great results across West Yorkshire and Harrogate and it’s even more pleasing to see that in those areas where patients have received letters the number of referrals have increased. Whilst it’s difficult to compare year-on-year figures given the year we are having we are seeing an increase in the number of people attending the programme from our joint efforts with GPs in identifying those at high risk. The feedback from patients attending the programme is really positive and in so many cases the results speak for themselves. One man who recently completed the programme lost an incredible six stone. He’s well out of the danger zone and has turned his life around completely.
What we can all do
The reality is if you’re over 40 and overweight you are at risk. Some of you are more at risk than others. This might be because of your ethnicity, body shape or family history. Evidence shows that if you’re over 25 and of south Asian or Black origin, you’re more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. If you’re carrying more weight around your middle or have grandparents, parents or siblings with diabetes there is more chance you’ll develop it yourself.
Spotting the signs is easy once you know what they are. Don’t try to explain them away but take control by staying active and healthy. Doing nothing shouldn’t be an option. The one thing we can all do if we think we’re at risk is to use the online Diabetes UK risk tool to check your score.
Have a good, safe weekend, Adele
Wednesday was a landmark event for Leeds, as they have delivered the first COVID-19 vaccines to people in the city. Leeds Teaching Hospitals was one of the first 50 ‘hospital hub’ sites chosen to take delivery of the Pfizer vaccine and NHS staff from across the city have been providing vaccinations to the priority groups identified by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).
The Improving Population Health Programme Board meets today (Friday 11 December). The membership includes public health, Voluntary Community Social Enterprise, council and NHS colleagues and is chaired by Dr James Thomas, Chair of Bradford District and Craven Clinical Commissioning Group and Robin Tuddenham, CEO for Calderdale Council and Chief Officer for Calderdale Commissioning Group. The Board last met on 13 November, where for the first time, members welcomed representatives from the Partnership’s Learning Disability Health and Care Champions project at the meeting. The project, which has been running since July 2019 in Partnership with 
The Board met on 20 November 2020, chaired by Anne-Marie Henshaw, Senior Responsible Officer for the programme and Director of Midwifery and Women’s Health at Mid Yorkshire Teaching Hospitals Trust. The Board agreed an action plan that addresses issues raised from the Partnership review report to tackle health inequalities for Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities and colleagues.
A group of young people from across our area met last Friday to discuss how they would like to be communicated with and involved around the work of the Partnership. Preferences included via tiktok, Instagram and web apps. Next steps include coproducing a communication plan on a page, with their design input.
NHS North Kirklees and NHS Greater Huddersfield Clinical Commissioning Groups are planning to merge and create a single clinical commissioning group for Kirklees from April 2021. As part of the process, the CCGs are inviting views from local patients, public and stakeholders. Feedback will be used to inform and support the setting up of the new organisation.