Diabetes Week is a time when Diabetes UK brings all its supporters together to raise awareness of a condition that affects more than four million people in the UK.

One in 20 people in Eastern Cheshire has diabetes, and with the fastest growing elderly population in the North West, that figure is only likely to increase.

To combat this growing trend, the CCG is commissioning an integrated diabetes service, which aims to join up diabetes care to support people to better manage their health and wellbeing.

The new service is due to go live next month, and will incorporate a diabetes ‘hub’ managed by GPs such as myself who have a special clinical interest in diabetes, and will also have a strong educational focus.

This is because approximately 22,000 people in Eastern Cheshire are pre-diabetic.

Type 2 diabetes can be fully reversed through lifestyle changes such as improved diet and increased exercise – but if it can be prevented from setting in altogether, it is not only hugely beneficial for the patient, but also relieves financial pressure on the NHS.

As such, certain Eastern Cheshire patients will have access to the National Diabetes Prevention Programme, a nine-month intensive behavioural change course, which, among other measures, helps people lose weight, become more active and improve their health for the long term.

The new service will also increasingly focus on technology and innovation, building on work we’re already doing as part of the STOPandGO programme.

STOPandGO stands for Sustainable Technology for Older People – Get Organised, a European Union initiative which aims to improve health and wellbeing through the use of technology.

In terms of diabetes, this can mean anything from apps which measure blood glucose levels, to telehealth, which means patients can talk to their GPs via video-calling, so don’t have to leave their homes to receive care.

Putting patients at the centre and empowering people to manage their own health is at the heart of everything we do at the CCG.

Find out more about our work to integrate healthcare services at caringtogether.info.