Diabetics in Milton Keynes invited to join virtual conference on diabetes

World Diabetes Day is on Saturday November 14 and Diabetes Professional Care, the UK’s leading event for diabetes healthcare professionals, will be staging its first ever patient education day.

The free-to-attend United Through Diabetes virtual conference is for people living with diabetes and has been organised by DPC, in partnership with the Diabetes Research & Wellness Foundation (DRWF) charity.

This virtual conference has been specifically designed to provide up-to-date education, top tips and skills for managing diabetes and inspirational sessions to help people living with all types of diabetes and their family and friends.

DPC Founder Maggie Meer said: “As a person who lives with type 2 diabetes, I recognise how crucial it is to keep patients informed of all the latest developments from within the field of diabetes, particularly during the current climate, where we’re hearing people with diabetes are at greater risk of becoming severely ill with Covid-19.

“We’re giving people with diabetes a front row seat to our programme which has been designed by people living with diabetes and our expert line up of healthcare professionals.

“We all have the same aim, to empower attendees so they feel they can take their health into their own hands. They need to know what new treatments are available and how they might benefit from them, and to give them the confidence to stand up and ask the questions they previously may have been too scared to ask their GP or diabetes nurse.

“The whole event is entirely free as I firmly believe that, to create real, positive changes, diabetes education must be free to access, no matter what.”

Amanda Epps, an Adult Diabetes Specialist Nurse at Rainham PCN & Medway NHS Foundation Trust, will be involved on the day to speak to people with diabetes and unpick some of the information broadcast to virtual attendees.

She said: “United Through Diabetes is going to be vital for anyone living with diabetes. We desperately need a culture shift when it comes to diabetes education. We need better access and also a change in attitudes.

“I recently spoke to someone with diabetes from Bulgaria where education is seen as a vital part of the treatment. But in the UK, it’s thought of as optional, you can’t get time off work to attend diabetes education, but you can if it’s a GP appointment.

Amanda added: “In the UK we need to change our mindsets to start looking at education as an essential part of the treatment plan. We need to improve access, it should be available 24/7, if someone wants to access it at midnight then they should be able to.

“With online technology improving dramatically and people working from home because of lockdown measures, there is a real opportunity to reach people who wouldn’t normally be accessible.

“Unfortunately, people with diabetes and a high HbA1c are at a much higher risk of dying from COVID-19 should they contract it. There has never been a better time for healthcare professionals to engage people with diabetes and improve their access to education.”

The United Through Diabetes patient education event runs between 9.30am and 5-m. 17:00. It follows DPC Virtual, a three-day CPD-accredited conference for healthcare professionals working within the field of diabetes.