New research conducted by the BBC’s Eye on Wales programme has revealed that only 2 percent of people with diabetes in Wales have attended structured education to help manage their condition.
This new research has raised questions over the consistency of diabetes services in Wales.
Statistics from Diabetes UK Cymru have indicated that around 42 people with diabetes will have a heart attack each week and five people will have a limb amputated.
Ten percent of the total NHS budget is currently spent on diabetes which equates to £500 million per year. In the UK, people with diabetes totalled 1,765,000 million in 2000 and by 2030 that figure is expected to rise to 2,668,000 according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Experts agree that education and awareness of diabetes and better screening services are the best way to tackle the rising diabetes epidemic.
In 2003, the national framework for diabetes was set up in England and Wales to try to standardise the care of diabetes across the nation, and to ensure that people with diabetes were offered structured education about diabetes.
There are educational programmes available for people with type 2 diabetes in the UK such as the DESMOND programme. DESMOND stands for Diabetes Education and Self Management for Ongoing and Newly Diagnosed. For more information and to find out where courses are available visit the DESMOND website, email: desmondweb@uhl-tr.nhs.ukl or telephone: 0116 258 7757.