‘Know your Risk of Type 2 Diabetes’ say county health leaders

‘Know your risk of Type 2 Diabetes’ is the take home message from health leaders across Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin this Diabetes Prevention Week, with a mobile testing van planned to hit the county’s streets.

Running between Monday 20 and Sunday 26 May, Diabetes Prevention Week 2024 is a joint campaign between NHS England and Diabetes UK, with local healthcare professionals joining forces to help spread the word.

Residents across the county, and particularly those over the age of 40 and people of Black and South Asian ethnicity over the age of 25, are being encouraged to check their risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes. They can do this by using the ‘Know Your Risk’ online tool or getting checked at a mobile testing van visiting Wellington in June and North Shropshire in July.

The free, local ‘Healthier You’ programme is also available to support people to make positive and healthy lifestyle changes. Living Well Taking Control is the local diabetes prevention service provider and offers free peer support programmes to help reduce people’s risk: lwtcsupport.co.uk.

The mobile testing van will be visiting Tesco Express at the Wellington Retail Park, on Wednesday 12 June between 9am and 4pm, with health professionals from across the county available to offer free checks and advice to residents for a range of health conditions. A second event is also planned for July in North Shropshire, with details to be confirmed. 

Joining forces for the event in June will be volunteers from across the Integrated Care System (ICS) including the Telford Community Blood Pressure Monitoring Service who will be offering lifestyle advice, blood pressure checks and referrals if needed.

Also available will be Lingen Davies and Qube Cancer Champions offering helpful advice and guidance, Healthy Lifestyles Advisors from Telford and Wrekin Council, as well as support from representatives at Living Well Taking Control.

Dr Nick White, Chief Medical Officer at NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, said: “For anyone who is looking to find out more information or to seek advice on a range of health issues, please do pop down to the retail park to see us – it will be well worth a trip.

“Time and again we see fantastic results from community outreach projects such as these, with people turning up concerned about an issue and looking to take positive steps to take control of their health. Diabetes Prevention Week 2024 is the perfect opportunity to remind people that action is so important when it comes to your own health.

“From helping you eat well, to tips on achieving a healthy weight and increasing physical activity – the risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes can be drastically reduced and heart health improved. We know it can be tough to make lifestyle changes, but with the right help it is possible to make simple changes that can significantly improve your health and wellbeing.”

Type 2 Diabetes occurs when the body either doesn’t produce enough insulin or the insulin it does produce doesn’t work properly. It can also be a combination of both. Risk factors include age, family history, ethnicity, weight, and blood pressure.

Around 90% of people with diabetes have Type 2 which can be prevented or delayed through being more physically active, eating healthily and managing weight. There are 772,683 adults with Type 2 Diabetes in the Midlands, nearly 1 in 12 people, or 8.2% of the regional population. This compares with a 7.5% prevalence in England. In addition, over a million people in England have undiagnosed Type 2 Diabetes.