NEWS
In early October London Medical, an
established private clinic based in the capital,
launched a Tye 2 care plan in direct response
to its patients needs.
Dr Ralph Abraham, Clinical Director
at London Medical comments, "We have
a strong heritage in diabetes care at
London Medical, having pioneered and
delivered personalised expert care here
for over 20 years. Our clinical expertise
is outstanding in the field and we're
delighted to have developed this new
model to enable even more patients to
benefit from education, support and
the most advanced treatments and
technology available."
The new Care Plan was lauched by
MP Keith Vaz, who has Type 2 diabetes
himself and who described his diagnosis
14 years ago as a 'wake up call'. He has
since founded a diabetes charity, Silver
Star Diabetes, in 2007 to fund Mobile
Diabetes Units to go into communities
and raise awareness of the condition.
He is extremely supportive of London
Medical's new Care Plan which addresss
concerns of current patients at the clinic.
According to a survey of its patients, it was
revealed that almost half (48%) of patients
feel that there is a stigma associated with
diabetes in the wider community. When
asked to name the biggest challenge in
managing their diabetes, many patients
focused on issues such as weight
management, choosing the "right" foods,
controlling sugar intake and avoiding
hidden sugars in foods. According to
the findings of a survey commissioned
by London Medical, 83% of Type 2
diabetes patients want to see contact
with a health care professional increased
to more than once a year to help manage
their condition, and a third (33%) of
those questioned are willing to pay for an
improved level of care.
These findings inspired the launch of
the new personalised, comprehensive
LONDON MEDICAL T2 LAUNCH
Diabetes Care Plan set to revolutionise
the standard of care available to diabetes
patients. The new programme provides
affordable and accessible care packages
as an alternative to what is currently
availalbe on the NHS .
The survey also explored issues
around the information and education
available to Type 2 diabetes patients
and found that 90% of patients felt that
it is important to keep up to date with
the latest information on diabetes care.
However, almost one in five (18%) of Type
2 diabetes patients rated the quality of
information available currently as 'average'
or 'poor'. Diet was a hot topic for patients,
with 59% of those surveyed saying they
wanted better information in this area.
This includes updates on new technology
in diabetes care, such as improvements
in blood glucose monitors (50%), as well
as simple, clear medical information and
advice on self-management and care.
Patients also wanted more advice and
reassurance, especially on the effects
on blood glucose levels from active
participation in sports and activities, and
dealing with difficulties while travelling
across time zones.
The Diabetes Care Plan will be
available at London Diabetes, a
specialised diabetes centre based within
the London Medical clinic, which has, over
the last 20 years, established a reputation
for delivering patient care for people with
diabetes. The continuous care scheme
gives consistent support to patients
in managing their diabetes, as well as
access to the latest in education and
technological developments in diabetes
and obesity management. Appointments
with a specialist consultant are available
Monday to Friday and at short notice
where required and where possible.
www.londonmedical.co.uk.
Dr Ralph Abraham, left, and
MP for Leicester East Keith
Vaz at the launch.