Tuesday 14th November is World Diabetes Day.  

Over three million people in England already have type 2 diabetes and more than five million could have it by 2025.

Type 2 diabetes is preventable, but if not treated properly, it can lead to serious health problems like blindness, amputation, stroke and heart attacks.  It can even play a part in major musculoskeletal issues like back pain.

Some people can live with it for up to 10 years before being diagnosed. That’s why it’s very important to know the diabetes risk factors and support your workforce to know about them too.  There’s lots of risk factors, including:

• having high blood pressure
• having a high waist measurement
• being obese or overweight.

So it’s really important for everyone to take some steps to reduce that risk if needed, including eating less and moving more.  There’s some great healthy eating and physical activity in the workplace resources to help you to encourage this at work.

Fortunately, help is at hand for businesses in Staffordshire through the Workplace Health service, including fully-funded support from professionals at Reed Wellbeing who are part of  ‘Healthier You,’ the national NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme.  Read just some of their success stories below.

If you would like a member of the Diabetes Prevention Team to come into your workplace to raise awareness of the risks of type 2 diabetes with your staff, please email workplacehealth@staffordshire.gov.uk

Burton worker reaches 10,000 steps a day with professional support

After an in-business health check, Rose was referred to a GP as a blood test showed she was pre-diabetic.  Having lost motivation for the gym in lockdown, and needing some motivation and advice, the GP referred her to the Heather You support course  – a monthly group to help her to eat better and move more.

“At first I felt hesitant; I didn’t think the programme would work, but thought I’d give it a go,” said Rose. “I had to really push myself to go to the first session and I was really sceptical about the group setting, but the more I kept going the more people I met.  Seeing everyone’s progress really motivated me.

“The course coach was very good with all the advice and knowledge shared, particularly around sugars.  I couldn’t believe how much sugar was in certain foods that I would just eat without thinking about it.  From there I just started changing what I was eating.  And with the exercise element, I started with 500 steps a day and now I’m hitting 10,000 every day!

“The weight is coming off, I’m more energetic and livelier at work and at home.  I look forward to the day that the blood test shows that I’m no longer pre-diabetic! I would definitely recommend this!”

“I have no back pain anymore thanks to the Diabetes Prevention Programme!”

Dean knew that he was eating too many cakes and biscuits, but didn’t realise just have much sugar and salt he was eating in his diet before he got a letter saying that he was pre-diabetic.

“I called up Healthier You, and now I’ve completely changed my diet,” he said.  “I used an app to track my diet. And Clare, my coach, gave me a good book to read and now I eat more of a Mediterranean diet whilst still eating three meals a day – I eat a lot more of the right kinds of things now!

“I’ve lost 5 stone since September from the programme, and my debilitating back pain has now completely gone. It’s completely changed my life!”

Get in touch with SCC workplace health to explore in-business support.