Nuneaton named in nation's top ten for diabetes sufferers

[dutchman]

Health chiefs have defended the fact that Nuneaton has been named in the nation's top ten for its number of diabetes type 2 sufferers.



NHS data has revealed hotspot area for the disease when it comes to the number of prescriptions given out - and the town and North Warwickshire, which includes Atherstone, are in the top ten.

Nuneaton has been ranked as sixth and neighbouring North Warwickshire took the number eight slot.

But bosses Bosses at the NHS Warwickshire North Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) say this highlights the fact that the people in need are getting the treatment they need.

In fact they say that the statistics from data analysis company Exasol highlight that more people are being identified and receiving treatment than most other areas in the UK.

They cannot deny that the areas have a higher than average rate of patients who have hypertension and diabetes but they say that local GPs have been proactive in raising awareness of the risks and encouraging people to change their lifestyles.

Dr Deryth Stevens, Chair of NHS Warwickshire North CCG, said: "It is excellent to have the hard work of the GPs recognised in this independent report.

"It is estimated that there are around 549,000 people in the UK* who have diabetes but have not been diagnosed, so increasing our diagnosis rates has been a key priority. This enables us to offer patients appropriate treatment and support and to hopefully prevent future complications which can occur if diabetes is left untreated.

"We have been very active in reaching people in our communities who are at the highest risk of diabetes. The #onething campaign has been pivotal in raising awareness of the risks and identifying people who are in need of treatment.

"Type 2 diabetes is a very serious health condition that can cause long-term health problems. It can lead to blindness, kidney failure, loss of a limb, and makes you five times more likely to have a heart attack or stroke. It's very important that you find out early if you are at risk of type 2 diabetes because it is possible to lower your risk of, or even stop you, developing the diabetes."

To help raise awareness, the CCG, in partnership with Warwickshire County Council, Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council and North Warwickshire Borough Council, launched a cardiovascular (CVD) lifestyle campaign called #onething with the aim to reduce levels of CVD and hundreds of pledges have been made to date.

The campaign, which targeted people from a range of communities and backgrounds, helped to identify a number of people with type 2 diabetes.

Hundreds of health checks were carried out as part of the campaign with diabetes and mini health checks offered to residents.

Also, as part of Ramadan, people were offered health checks at a mosque in Nuneaton.