Diabetes Action Campaign for Children with Diabetes

graflynn

Hello Everyone,

I've done this as a separate thread to ensure that as many people see it as possible - hope that's ok with the mods.

The following can be found on DA's website; http://www.diabetesaction.ie/campaign-archives/2011/04/paediatric-adolescent-diabetes-services/23

Paediatric & Adolescent Diabetes Services

There are approximately 3,500 children and adolescents with diabetes in Ireland and nearly all have of whom have type 1 diabetes. Hundreds of children and adolescents with diabetes can’t access advances in care, such as insulin pumps, because local paediatric diabetes teams in hospitals around Ireland are under resourced.

Children and adolescents with diabetes should attend hospital an average of 4-5 times a year to monitor their diabetes this aims to limit the subtle but cumulative damage which diabetes can cause to the eyes, kidneys, nerves (neuropathy) and smaller blood vessels (microvascular damage).

The care children and adolescents with diabetes receive as youths will decide how full and productive a life they can lead as adults and studies show that long term health outcomes for children and adolescents with diabetes relates directly to the resources put in to health services.

Children and adolescents with diabetes learn to control their diabetes, to monitor their blood sugars and insulin levels. Self-control of diabetes is challenging, but technological advances now allow children and adolescents with diabetes to monitor their diabetes with intensive therapies (such as insulin pumps or MDIs /multiple daily injections) much more effectively and accurately than with standard treatments.

However, insulin pump technology is not available at hospitals where to the vast majority of children and adolescents receive their diabetes care, even though improved control of diabetes can lessen the development of complications in adulthood by as much as 76%.

Diabetes Action is seeking the restructuring of current services to allow more children and adolescents to access life changing treatments. Click this link to see our proposal; http://www.diabetesaction.ie/PDFs/PaedsCampaign.10.05.05.11.pdf

Support out campaign by clicking on this link: http://www.diabetesaction.ie/CFLatestCampaign/index.cfm and sending the predrafted letter to your local TD or Senator about services in your area, asking them to seek policy change in the Department of Health and the HSE.


Insulin pump therapy is particularly valuable in paediatric patients especially for those of pre-school age in whom the developing brain is vulnerable to hypoglycaemia but should be offered as a treatment option for to all children and adolescents where appropriate.

New treatments that control blood sugar and insulin levels are available, but patients need to work with a specialist diabetes nurse and dietician to access this care and paediatric diabetes teams outside of Dublin rarely have the resources to offer these new treatments.

This often leads families to seek a referral to one of the three Dublin hospitals offering intensive treatments like insulin pumps, requiring time off school, off work and causing a separation from the care provided by the local diabetes service team.

Please support our campaign for improved services!