Free yearly checks for those with diabetes

Tuesday 02 August 2022

A new free service has been launched to provide annual checks for those with diabetes in the presence of a nurse at local doctor’s surgeries.

Anyone over the age of 18 with either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes will now receive a yearly letter inviting them for the free 30-minute session from their GP.

Tests and checks, including a blood test, foot checks, blood pressure readings and a BMI calculation will be administered. Nurses will also offer dietary advice, medication advice, and direction to other beneficial classes.

Dr Abigail Griffiths, Diabetes Lead for Island Health, estimated that between 3,000 and 4,000 islanders have diabetes, but said precise data is difficult to ascertain in Guernsey since all records are held by different GPs.

She hopes this new service will allow for new data to be collected and shared between healthcare practitioners and therefore improve services to support those with the condition.

Dr Griffiths added that diabetes can be easily missed and is a “really common occurrence” because many only seek out healthcare when they feel physically unwell. The new service seeks to reduce complications and better control the consequences of diabetes year on year.

Eligible islanders do not have to call their surgery until they receive their invite letter from their doctor.

Pictured: The service was launched at the Princess Elizabeth Hospital yesterday (1 August 2022).

Matt Ferguson, a representative for Diabetes Guernsey, told Express that he has been diabetic since he was four-years-old, and was invited to establish the support organisation several years ago.

“Complications with diabetes can have long-lasting, life-altering effects… but they can be mitigated if you catch them early enough,” he said.

Mr Ferguson said he has managed to keep his driving license by identifying and managing his condition, but added he personally knows two people who are now legally blind as a consequence of their diabetes.

He echoed previous comments that the rate of diabetes locally mirrors British trends. He also said Diabetes Guernsey is on the social prescribing list and affords those with the condition to “have a good whinge about it”.

Diabetes is a lifelong condition that causes a person's blood sugar level to become too high. Type 1 is where the body's immune system attacks and destroys the cells that produce insulin - the hormone which controls sugar in the blood.

Type 2 is where the body does not produce enough insulin or the body's cells do not react to insulin.

Pictured (top): L-R: Diane Matthews, Strategic Screening Lead at HSC, Matt Ferguson of Diabetes Guernsey, Dr Abigail Griffiths of Island Health, Clinical Governance and Nursing Lead Nicki Van Schalwyk, and a representative from HSC.