Ashfield residents take part in free Diabetes health checks

Seventy-seven Ashfield residents came forward for free, comprehensive Diabetes Health checks as part of a national testing campaign.

With the support of Diabetes UK and Abbott, Ashfield South Primary Care Network hosted a mobile health screening unit at Ashfield Community Hospital on 17 July.

The checks included Body Mass Index (BMI), blood pressure and a finger-prick blood test to confirm their blood glucose and cholesterol levels. The specialist Abbott machines were able to produce results from the blood tests in just 7 minutes, so residents were able to receive their results instantly.

Diabetes UK, NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme (NDPP) and the Diabetes Education & Self-management Service (DESMOND) were also on site to help inform residents about Diabetes, answer any questions, and to help signpost to services which may benefit them. And local leisure centre provider, Everyone Active was there to offer free trial sessions as well as information on how to access their exercise referral schemes, to help residents become more active.

Suzanne Coote from Annesley Woodhouse was one of the residents who took part. She said, “I was invited by my doctor to take part in the health screening, which I think is very important. We all MOT our cars, it’s just as important we MOT our bodies and to see if there’s anything we can do to help ourselves.

“As a result of attending today I’ve found out that I’ve got high blood pressure, which I wouldn’t have known if I hadn’t have come here.”

Nearly a million people in the UK have undiagnosed diabetes, while those with damage caused by high cholesterol may not show any symptoms until later stages.

You can check if you're at risk of type 2 diabetes by taking a simple online test on the Diabetes UK website: https://riskscore.diabetes.org.uk/start

If you're already living with diabetes or think you may be at risk, see NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire new website notts.icb.nhs.uk/diabetes for information, advice, local support and help with managing the condition better.

While Type 2 diabetes is a serious condition, with support around three in five cases of Type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed by maintaining a healthy weight, eating well and being active.

The NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme aims to improve service users' knowledge, ability and confidence to make better lifestyle choices, helping them towards:

· A healthier diet

· Better exercise

· Emotional wellbeing and ways to manage stress

· Weight management

Eligible patients referred onto the Healthier You NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme will be invited to participate in a 9-month intervention aimed at reducing their diabetes risk level.