Number of people with
diabetes up has soared in the last decade
THE number of people living with
diabetes in the UK has risen by 59.8% in a decade, according to a new analysis
by Diabetes UK. The new figures, extracted from official NHS data, show that
there are now 3,333,069 people diagnosed with diabetes, which is an increase of
more than 1.2 million adults compared with ten years ago when, in 2005, there
were 2,086,041 people diagnosed with the condition. Diabetes UK is warning that
this exponential growth in numbers reflects an urgent need for effective care
for people living with diabetes, as well as highlighting the importance of
prevention and that failure to act on this threatens to bring down the NHS. At
present only 6 in 10 people with diabetes in England and Wales receive the eight
care processes recommended by the National Institute for Health Care and
Excellence (NICE). These are the checks identified as essential in high quality
care for people with diabetes and include getting blood pressure and blood
glucose levels measured, as well as the kidney function monitored, otherwise
poorly managed diabetes can lead to devastating and expensive health
complications such as kidney disease, stroke and amputation. This is why it’s
critical that the government takes urgent action to ensure that everyone with
diabetes receives the eight care processes, reducing their risk of further
health complications and the costs these incur for the already strained NHS
budget. Barbara Young, Chief Executive of Diabetes UK, said:- "Over the
past decade, the number of people living with diabetes in the UK has increased
by over 1 million people, which is the equivalent of the population of a small
country such as Cyprus. With a record number of people now living with diabetes
in the UK, there is no time to waste; the government must act now. We need to
see more people with diabetes receiving the eight care processes recommended by
NICE. It is unacceptable that a third of people living with the condition do not
currently get these, putting them at increased risk of developing complications,
such as amputations, heart attack or stroke. Diabetes already costs the NHS
nearly £10 billion a year, and 80% of this is spent on managing avoidable
complications. So there is huge potential to save money and reduce pressure on
NHS hospitals and services through providing better care to prevent people with
diabetes from developing devastating and costly complications. The NHS must
prioritise providing better care, along with improved and more flexible
education options, for people with diabetes now, and give them the best possible
chance of living long and healthy lives. Until then, avoidable human suffering
will continue and the costs of treating diabetes will continue to spiral out of
control and threaten to bankrupt the NHS. Now is the time for action."
|
|
Shake Up roadshow comes to
Liverpool
FAMILIES in Liverpool are being invited
to get active when Change4Life and Disney’s 10 Minute Shake Up roadshow comes to
Williamson Square, in Liverpool City Centre, on 15 August 2015 and Liverpool
International Music Festival at Sefton Park, 30 August 2015. This summer,
Change4Life has teamed up with Disney to inspire kids to get active with the
launch of the new, exciting 10 Minute Shake Up campaign featuring some of their
favourite Disney characters and stories. Dr Sandra Davies, Director of
Public Health for Liverpool City Council, said:- "Levels of childhood
obesity are unacceptably high in Liverpool with 4 in every 10 children in Year 6
being overweight or obese. We need to get children moving, being active is
beneficial for a child's physical, social and mental wellbeing. We know that
being active can prevent lots of long term illnesses in future years including
heart disease, diabetes, cancers. The 10 Minute Shake Up programme is great for
introducing children to manageable, bite size chunks of activity and, best of
all, it’s fun. With the summer holidays coming up, it’s ideal for parents and
children to get active together."
With a sprinkling of Disney magic, interactive activities and games for all
ages, the 10 Minute Shake Up roadshow will encourage families to discover simple
and fun ways to get moving during the summer holiday. Children will
be able to try out lots of new Disney inspired games and activities including
Frozen 'Build a Summer Snowman' relay, the 'Stickball Blitz'
Big Hero 6 throwing game and a Toy Story 'target strike.'
All the activities will be housed in a Change4Life 10 Minute Shake Up Zone so
kids and their families can team up and complete the games together. The
activities are designed to inspire kids to have fun being active, and give
parents and grandparents lots of great ideas to keep their kids busy over the
summer holidays. This year's campaign is the 2nd time Change4Life and
Disney have teamed up, following the success of last year's 10 Minute Shake Up
campaign, which saw the nation’s kids get active for an extra 104 million
minutes last summer. New this summer, there are lots of exciting 10 minute games
and activities for kids to play as part of four Disney teams - Frozen, Big Hero
6, Monsters or Toy Story. Kids can then try to help their team win by doing as
many Shake Ups as they can over the summer. Ricky Wilson, lead singer of
Kaiser Chiefs and TV personality, who's supporting the campaign, said:- "I
haven't always had the best understanding about the huge importance physical
activity has on my own health and wider wellbeing, but since taking up a much
more active lifestyle, the benefits that I've gained have been endless, it has
helped with everything from singing to performing and even just getting out of
bed or going to the shops. I'm supporting this summer's Change4Life campaign,
and have helped create my own 10 Minute Shake Up game to help these guys
understand the joys of being active and to ask parents to encourage their kids
to enjoy the many health and social advantages that come with doing the right
amount of physical activity. I’m excited to see how it goes and just hope I can
keep up with the kids." |