So the election has been called for 8th February. Over the next few weeks, election candidates will be knocking on the door.  This is a great opportunity to highlight the lack of resources in current  HSE diabetes services.

As a community, we feel that in the past 3 years, Diabetes has become less of an HSE priority and as a result despite 12-14,000 new diagnoses each year, no significant funding for new posts was made available by the state. Yet, the cost of diabetes is staggering with 14% of the current health budget spent on the condition each year. The majority of this is spent on the complications of diabetes which accounts for 65% of the total expenditure. Much of this is preventable if we had better public services.

A survey report of all public hospitals currently providing diabetes care in Ireland was published in 2018. All hospitals currently providing diabetes services took part in the survey. The report showed severe deficiencies in the level of resources in hospital-based diabetes teams. The findings of this report are not being addressed and we need political support to address the various issues.  See full report here

As a start to addressing the many needs of the diabetes community our ask is very simple. “An additional Diabetes Nurse Specialist and a Dietitian is required for every hospital diabetes team in the country”.

So, when the election candidates appear on your doorstep, ask the following Primary Questions:

Question 1:

What will you do to obtain an extra Diabetes Nurse Specialist and a Dietitian for my local diabetes hospital team?

Question 2:

Will you join the Diabetes Cross Party Parliamentary Group in Leinster House, if elected?   

Supported by Diabetes Ireland, a new Diabetes Cross Party Parliamentary Group has been set up in Leinster House. The Group aims to raise awareness of the need for a long-term diabetes strategy to improve care and support for people with both Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes nationwide. The group will work with Diabetes Ireland and other stakeholders to identify the key areas that require funding and make recommendations to the Government for funding of these areas. The more TDs and Senators we have on the group, the stronger our voice will be. The group is chaired by Frank O’Rourke TD.

Other Questions:

First and foremost, are there areas of your diabetes care that frustrate you? If so, share them with the election candidates.

To achieve an integrated model of care that delivers high quality and cost-effective care it is imperative that adequate staffing levels are in place in hospital-based specialist services to allow hospital multi-disciplinary teams to manage people with complex diabetes and to support general practice to deliver a greater amount of routine diabetes care to people with type 2 diabetes. Access to structured education which meets international standards, better diabetes clinical information systems to track diabetes populations, improvements in diabetes foot care and improved access to bariatric surgery are also priority areas that need addressing.

Find your nearest diabetes hospital team here:

List of Hospitals

Getting the resources to achieve this will be our fight for the next number of years. We need your help. Start today by raising the issue of diabetes with all election candidates.