Spreading the word about diabetes care in Barnet

The Barnet Community Integrated Diabetes service are a multi-disciplinary team including specialist nurses, dietitians, consultant, podiatrist healthcare assistants, integrated service coordinator, and group education support officer.  All working together to provide patient centred solutions for adults 18 years and over who have quite complex diabetes and therefore need specialist management.

Alongside running regular clinics, the team also does a lot of community outreach work educating patients and their carers and the general community around diabetes prevention and management; nutrition and exercise through training sessions and seminars.  

The team was at the Brent Cross shopping centre recently on 14 November 2016 as part of World Diabetes Day to raise awareness amongst the local population along with a health expert from Better Health who provided advice on healthy living.   According to 2016 figures from the International Diabetes Foundation, one in two people are undiagnosed with diabetes.

It was hugely successful day with approximately 110 people completing the diabetes risk assessment forms from Diabetes UK and other members of the public enquiring about diabetes in general.  Out of the 110 people tested, 40 were at high risk of developing diabetes and they were offered a blood test on site to detect their glucose levels.  Three people were diagnosed with diabetes and six were in a pre-diabetes phase.  Those with high results indicating diabetes were offered some initial advice from the consultant and were invited to the structured education programme on diabetes run by the team.  They were also given a letter to present to the GP to help them seek further advice and guidance. Those with results indicating pre-diabetes were given advice on prevention of diabetes.