Diabetes, CPD Peer Review, LinkedIn, FODO News

21 February 2024

We have 4 items for you today:

1. Diabetes Care
   
   Diabetes UK have issued information regarding the unprecedented scale of diabetes, as part of their Clinical Champions Programme. They say: 
    
   • only 18% – 37% of people with diabetes get all nine essential care processes. We know that social deprivation is the main barrier to accessing care.
   • only 33% – 40% of people of Black and South Asian ethnicity are offered wearable glucose monitors compared to 52% of White people. Not getting up-to-date treatment is a sign of systemic racism. 
      

   The 9 essential care processes mentioned above, taken from an NHS England page on diabetes prevention, HERE, are:

   • Weight and BMI.
   • Blood pressure.
   • HbA1c.
   • Retinopathy screening.
   • Foot risk stratification.
   • Urinary albumin test.
   • Serum creatinine.
   • Smoking status.
   • Cholesterol level.

   When doing your symptoms and history on all diabetic patients, please ask them if they are having regular retinopathy screening at the screening service, and check they are attending their GP Surgery for all checks as requested. Blindness due to diabetes is totally preventable.

   Further information on their programme can be found HERE, with Thanks to Essex LOC for this update.

2. Herts Vision Loss now at our CPD Peer Review Event on March 4th in Tewinbury, Welwyn 
   Added Extra!  We are pleased to say that Herts Vision Loss will now be giving a short presentation at the start about their excellent work, and they will also be there before the lectures to answer any questions and tell you more about what they do.

   Thanks to everyone who has signed up for this event. You should all have received your confirmations by now, including further details and directions to the venue.

   If you have registered but not received confirmation, please contact us at admin@hertsLOC.org.uk   

   If you have not registered but are interested in attending, please see further details at the beginning of our previous newsletter HERE.

3. Herts LOC is now on LinkedIn!
   
   You can now find us on LinkedIn, HERE, where we will be able to keep you updated with news stories and events. We are starting small, at first, but look forward to growing. We hope you will follow us and spread the word! With thanks to our committee member, Seema Rauniar, for her commitment and enthusiasm in getting the project launched.

   We always appreciate any feedback from practitioners, whether about our LinkedIn page, the LOC generally, or anything we can do to help and support you. 
   

4. FODO News
   Is HERE, including Wes Streeting reiterates support for more eye care on the high street, GOC standards consultation and other sector and health policy news.

Kind regards

Herts LOC