PATIENTS recently diagnosed with diabetes can get all of the help they need to successfully manage their own condition through a new education programme being rolled out across Great Yarmouth and Waveney.
PATIENTS recently diagnosed with diabetes can get all of the help they need to successfully manage their own condition through a new education programme being rolled out across Great Yarmouth and Waveney.
DESMOND (Diabetes Education and Self Management for Ongoing and Newly Diagnosed) is designed to provide patients with information, advice and techniques to help them effectively manage their illness and improve their quality of life.
Run by NHS Great Yarmouth and Waveney's community services team, it is currently being rolled out across the area following a successful pilot held last year.
Those who have recently been diagnosed are referred by their GP to either a day-long workshop or two half-day sessions, where they will be given information about the types of diabetes, treatments, the importance of attending diabetes clinic reviews and diet. They will also be encouraged to closely monitor their health and taught the warning signs they should look out for.
Project leader and diabetes nurse consultant, Maureen Chadwick, said: “Ten thousand people across Yarmouth and Waveney already have diabetes, and approximately 1,000 new cases are diagnosed every year
“That is why it is so important to make this useful programme available to all of those patients who need it. Research shows that if diabetes is managed properly, the patient's quality of life improves significantly. Behavioural change, such as giving up smoking and maintaining a healthy weight, can also make a huge difference - and these are among the things the DESMOND programme looks at.”
Anyone who is concerned about their risk of developing diabetes can get a free health check at a one-stop-shop event at Worlingham Pharmacy in Woodland Avenue, Beccles, between 9am and 4pm on Saturday, June 13.
The event has been organised by Beccles and District Lions Club, Diabetes UK, NHS Great Yarmouth and Waveney and the Worlingham Pharmacy.
To find out more visit www.livinglife.gyw.nhs.uk.
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