Success for well attended Living With Diabetes Day
The clear message from the second annual 'Living With Diabetes Day' organised by the Stephanie Marks Diabetes Appeal in association with Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals is that education is the way forward for diabetes care. With an explosion in the number of people with diabetes supporting individuals to care for themselves is an important element in plans for the future. Over 150 people attended the event which was sponsored by pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk and the Royal Bank of Scotland.
Headline speaker at the Living with Diabetes Day event, Professor Simon Howell (Chair, Board of Trustees, Diabetes UK and Research Dean, King's College London) said after the event: "The day is an excellent example of how patients can be kept informed and supported to manage their own condition. I look forward to seeing the Stephanie Marks Diabetes Centre when it is fully operational." At the event, Appeal Chairman Clive Thompson CBE, said that he hoped to be able to make an announcement soon about the building of the flagship centre which will provide a focus for diabetes care in the Ashford and St. Peter's hospitals catchment area with consulting and treatment rooms and educational facilities.
Consultant Diabetelogist and Medical Director at Ashford and St. Peter's hospitals, Dr Mike Baxter spoke enthusiastically about the services that the Diabetes Centre could provide including a pump service, specialist community support and a venue for patients with diabetes to meet and exchange information.
He said: "The centre will be an excellent facility for patients, carers, their relatives, doctors, nurses and all the other healthcare staff who are involved in diabetes care."
Dr Mike Baxter
Other speakers at the event included:
Paediatric Diabetes Specialist Nurse Anne Lyddall from Ashford and St. Peter's hospitals who spoke about the local diabetes service for children and its associated support group dedicated to the care and education of children with diabetes.
Podiatrist Katrina Carter who has worked at St. Peter's for 15 years specializing in diabetes foot care. She spoke about the importance of patients with diabetes taking extra care with their feet which can lose all sensation and feelings due to diabetes damaging nerve endings.
The Diabetes Appeal is named after Stephanie Marks, a pupil at Sir William Perkins School in Chertsey, who died age 17. At the start of the day her father, Chris Marks, outlined Stephanie's dream to become a doctor and said that the Stephanie Marks Diabetes Centre would be a lasting tribute to her memory. Sir Williams Perkins's School provided the facilities for the Living with Diabetes Day free and following an excellent lunch provided by Cater Link those attending the day heard three further presentations:
Pharmacists Dipak Puri and Perminder Oberai outlined how pharmacists can offer a range of services to help those with diabetes. Pharmacists don't only dispense prescriptions they can offer advice about a range of topics such as lifestyle, diet and blood glucose monitoring.
Consultant Ophthalmologist at Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals, Mr Ulrich Meyer-Bothling, explained that diabetic retinopathy is a serious eye disease, which is usually associated with long-term diabetes and, if left untreated, can lead to blindness. It is a silent attack of Diabetes to the eyes where, in most cases, there are no symptoms at all. He therefore encouraged people to take advantage of the newly introduced Retinal Screening Programme which examines the back of the eye to identify early warning signs.
Finally, Dietician Alun Willis from Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals and Executive Chef Steve Acton from Cater Link outlined how easy it is for diabetes patients to change their lifestyle to manage their condition and cook exciting and enticing food with a practical cooking demonstration by Steve.
Speaking after the event Appeal Manager Val Marks (no relation to Stephanie) said: "We have received excellent feedback on the event and plan to hold it again in 2008. Our numbers were up on 2006 with over 150 people attending and although this was primarily an educational day, rather than a fundraising event, £5000 was raised for the Appeal. Parents were able to listen to the speakers uninterrupted knowing their children were in safe hands and enjoying activities in the Kids Club run by qualified play leader B. This included a special session on diabetes care run by Paediatric Diabetes Specialist Nurse Anne Lyddall which used a teddy bear to demonstrate how diabetes patients inject themselves with insulin. We are very grateful to our principal sponsors, Novo Nordisk and the Royal Bank of Scotland, and to everyone else who contributed to the day by volunteering their services, speaking, exhibiting, or donating raffle prizes."
The Stephanie Marks Appeal would like to thank the sponsors, exhibitors and supporters of the 2007 event:
For further information, to purchase tickets for an event, or to request a leaflet, please call 01932 722330 or email: val.levy@asph.nhs.uk or val.marks@asph.nhs.uk
The Stephanie Marks Appeal, Communications and Fundraising, The Studio, Ashford & St Peter’s NHS Trust, Guildford Road, Chertsey, Surrey, KT16 0PZ
