Diabetes Week 8 - 14 June 2008

Friday, 09, Jan 2009 11:25

Diabetes UK is the largest organisation in the UK working for people with diabetes, by funding research, campaigning and helping people live with the condition.

Diabetes week aims to raise awareness of the seriousness of diabetes, which can lead to heart attacks, blindness, kidney failure, amputations and strokes if left untreated.

Our campaigning activities throughout this week focus on helping people with diabetes in the UK to get the care they deserve.

We will be raising concerns about cuts to specialist diabetes services, such as a reduction in the number of diabetes specialist nurses, in parliament during Diabetes Week.

We will campaign for improvements from primary care organisations that have not met retinal screening targets.

Retinopathy is the primary cause of blindness in the UK’s working-age population, yet in the year ending in March 31 2008 almost 60 per cent of PCTs (94 out of 152) failed to meet their target of offering all people with diabetes the chance to be screened, putting three quarters of a million people with

diabetes in England at risk of losing their sight.

We will also call for a reduction in the number of emergency hospital admissions for people with diabetes by raising the issue of emergency hospital admissions due to diabetes in the four parliaments of the UK.

A variety of fundraising activities will take place across the country, including cultural events, exhibitions and walks, and there will be plenty of opportunities to participate.

For further details of diabetes week events, please visit our website www.diabetes.org.uk/diabetesweek