Barts and The London joins forces with East London Mosque to tackle diabetes in Tower Hamlets

2 November 2009

Barts and The London NHS Trust is offering people on-the-spot blood glucose tests at the East London Mosque on 11 November 2009. 

Nursing staff from the North East London Diabetes Research Network will be at hand to provide blood glucose testing and advice on how to prevent and manage diabetes at the mosque from 12 midday – 2.00pm to mark World Diabetes Day (14 November).

Dr Gillian Hood, North East London Diabetes Research Network Manager said: “The number of people developing diabetes in our communities continues to rise, and the need to raise awareness of this condition and the research which may assist towards a greater understanding of diabetes is essential.  People from ethnic minority groups are under represented in diabetes research and we would like to work with local communities to improve this.”

Tower Hamlets has a higher than national average prevalence of 6.9 per cent of residents with diabetes compared with 4.7 per cent for the UK as a whole. There are over 10,000 registered people with diabetes in Tower Hamlets and 10,000 more are thought to have the condition but do not know it.  Many more are at risk of developing the diabetes in the future especially adults who are overweight.

The finger-prick test, which is relatively painless, is able to provide an indication of blood glucose levels and possibility of having diabetes on the day of the test.  It is not a definitive test for diabetes but it does give some indication of those who may be at risk.  Repeated tests are advised for those who are concerned about their risk as diabetes status can change over time.

People with such concerns about developing diabetes should always see their GP. If detected early enough diabetes is usually a manageable condition and the risks of complications such as blindness and heart attack can be greatly reduced with expert care and education.

Dr Hood said: “Screening can make a difference - for every 100 people tested we usually identify 2-3 people with undiagnosed diabetes. These people are advised to see their GP for further investigation. However the test has limitations and cannot identify those who will develop diabetes in the future.”

Nursing staff will be in attendance at the stall to offer advice in a variety of languages including Bengali. Leaflets will also be available.

Barts and The London hosts the North East London Diabetes Research Network which raises awareness and conducts good quality research to improve patient outcomes for those with diabetes and others who may be at risk. The North East London Diabetes Research Network covers Barking & Dagenham, the City of London, Hackney, Newham, Redbridge, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest and large parts of Essex.

Contact: Angela Boon 020 7480 4843 or Dan Wheelahan 020 7480 4892

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Notes for editors

• Barts and The London is one of Britain’s top teaching hospital trusts.  Our mission is literally to bring excellence to life – to give patients the best possible care so that they can live better, fuller, longer lives.
• Our world-renowned hospitals – St Bartholomew’s (Barts) in the City, The Royal London in Whitechapel and The London Chest in Bethnal Green – have made and continue to make an outstanding contribution to modern medicine. Read more about our full portfolio of services at www.bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk.
• Our £1 billion new hospitals programme is set to transform healthcare facilities locally. When completed the new hospital at The Royal London will be the biggest new hospital in the country, while the new buildings at Barts will house a brand-new cancer hospital and cardiac centre.

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