WIRRAL Community NHS Foundation Trust chief executive Karen Howell writes for the Globe ...

THERE are 3.6m people in the UK who have been diagnosed with diabetes with 700 more diagnosed every day.

That's one person every two minutes.

Latest figures for Wirral show more than 23,500 people in the borough have been diagnosed with Type 2, and a quarter of adults carry out less than 30 minutes of exercise each week.

It is also believed the there are many more people out there who are diabetic without realising it.

Wirral Globe:

Wirral Community NHS boss Karen Howell

These statistics are very concerning and it's important we tackle the problem head on.

Together we can manage a diabetes diagnosis effectively and even prevent it in the first place.

Diabetes can cause potentially life-threatening complications.

Here in Wirral we have the highest limb amputation rates associated with diabetes in the UK.

Other complications can include foot ulcers, blindness, kidney problems and heart disease.

Yet if managed properly, all of these can be prevented.

You're more at risk if:

  • You're over 40
  • You've ever had high blood pressure
  • You're over weight
  • An immediate family member has diabetes
  • You're South Asian, African-Caribbean or Black African descent.

The first step to prevention is making healthy changes.

Eating healthily, exercising more and sleeping well can lower your risk of diabetes.

Having regular health checks with your GP is also essential if you know you are more at risk, and if you've got diabetes, it's so important that you take care of your condition with regular check-ups.

Living with diabetes can be difficult and stressful.

But help is always at hand from the NHS and you don't need to put your life on hold.

If you've been diagnosed with either impaired glucose tolerance (pre-diabetes) or Type 2 diabetes in Wirral, you can self-refer to our nutrition & dietetics service and join the Wirral XPERT diabetes programme.

This excellent programme covers: blood glucose control, weight management, healthy eating, food labelling, carbohydrate awareness, physical activity and prevent health problems.

We don't just preach at you, this programme is interactive with lots of group activity, discussion and visual aids.

Led by nutrition and dietetics health professionals, the team really know their stuff and could help you reach your goals, manage your diagnosis and even reverse diabetes.

Visit wirralct.nhs.uk for more.