Is it an emergency?
Posted on
in North East Essex News
A diabetes service that helps people in Essex to live better lives with the life-changing condition will celebrate its 10th anniversary next week.
The North East Essex Diabetes Service (NEEDS) has treated and advised thousands of patients across Colchester and Tendring since its launch in 2014.
And to mark the occasion it will be hosting a celebratory event for local healthcare professionals, staff past and present at Colchester United’s Jobserve Community Stadium on May 15.
NEEDS is run by the Suffolk GP Federation and commissioned by the NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board (SNEE ICB).
It was one of the first diabetes services in the country to forge close relationships with GP practices, helping to ensure they had the expertise and resources needed to provide excellent care to their own diabetes patients.
Around 7% of the 374,711 people living in Colchester and Tendring (National Diabetes Audit 2022) have diabetes, and around 22,000 people have Type 2 diabetes.
NEEDS offers specialist community-run clinics in Clacton, Colchester and Harwich. People who attend the clinics receive bespoke advice and guidance from diabetes specialists on topics such as diet and exercise, foot care, and guidance on using insulin pumps.
They can also benefit from NEEDS award-winning education courses, which support upskilling and empowerment to self-manage the condition and can be taken at any point after diagnosis.
The sessions, which are open to people with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, equip attendees with the knowledge and skills needed to enjoy life to the full by staying in control of their condition. There are options to carry the sessions out online or in person.
To date 5,800 people have completed one of NEEDS educational courses.
Population health data which tracks how well local areas are performing shows that NEEDS is delivering an outstanding level of support and care to local people, achieving excellent results which are better than most other areas in England.
The service has also scooped eight Quality in Care awards since its inception, including winning entries for its emotional wellbeing and education programmes.
NEEDS patient Rosie Forshaw said: “There have been many changes to diabetes care since my diagnosis, including the introduction of new technologies.
“The NEEDS team has been brilliant at adopting these and helping patients like me to benefit from the advances in treatment of Type 1 diabetes. I feel extremely lucky to have had the care and support of the NEEDS team during my transition to an insulin pump which has given me much more freedom.”
Sheila Smyth, NEEDS Diabetes Service Manager, said: “The work of NEEDS has seen people in north east Essex benefiting from some of the best diabetes care in the country. The NEEDS service strives for excellence and innovation, as working with an ever-growing health condition with finite NHS resources requires thinking outside the box.
“We have formed close working relationships with primary care who have been at the core of our local improvements and we work collaboratively to improve the pathways and care received by people with diabetes.
“We also put user feedback at the heart of all service developments and are always looking for local people with diabetes to engage with and help shape the future of services.”
The anniversary event will give attendees an opportunity to celebrate all these successes and more. Colleagues old and new will be invited to reflect on major milestones throughout the service’s history and meet faces from the past, both in person and via photographic displays.
Current stars and supporters of the service will also be formally acknowledged via an award-giving ceremony. Delegates will also hear about plans for the next chapter of the service.
Patients also have their own dedicated events to mark in their diaries, with several engagement days and patient forums planned throughout the year.
These gatherings enable them to support each other by sharing their experiences and knowledge, as well as helping to shape the future of the service.
People with diabetes can visit the NEEDS website for more information about the local services on offer and on how to join these events.
Notes to editors
- NEEDS is the top achiever in England for the percentage of people with a diabetes diagnosis who have received a full yearly diabetes check. 78% of diabetes patients in north east Essex have received their checks, which includes the monitoring of key health markers including blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose levels (HbA1c), with the aim of reducing preventable complications of diabetes. This compares to the national average of 50.8% (data taken from March 2023-March 2024)
- A higher number of patients in Suffolk and north east Essex also benefited from improvements in these key areas of health, such as blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose levels, compared to the national average. This is important as improvements in these crucial areas can help prevent associated complications such as strokes and heart attacks (data taken from March 2023-March 2024).
- Having diabetes means you are more likely to develop problems with your feet, so an annual foot check is vital. Locally 81% (Type 1) and 83% (Type 2) of patients had a foot check, compared to an England average of 51% and 59%
- Regular educational events are important to inform and motivate patients to keep well. NEEDS is the best in England for reaching patients, with 65.1% of Type 1 diabetes patients participating in an educational programme, compared to an England average of 37.9%