Diabetes Advice

Diabetes is a condition that occurs when your blood glucose (sugar) is too high. Blood glucose comes from breaking down the food you eat, it is your main cellular energy source and acts as fuel for all the processes needed for life. Insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas, helps glucose get into your cells. If your body cannot make enough Insulin (people with Type 1 diabetes and some with Type 2), or your body cannot use the Insulin effectively (Type 2), your blood glucose will be too high.

Type 2 Diabetes mostly affects people from mid life onwards and is more common than Type 1 Diabetes. If Diabetes is not reversed or managed properly, blood glucose levels remain high and long term serious complications can occur, including:

• Nerve damage (neuropathy)
• Cardiovascular disease
• Stroke
• Kidney damage (diabetic nephropathy) or kidney failure
• Damage to the blood vessels of the retina (diabetic retinopathy), potentially leading to blindness
• Clouding of the normally clear lens of your eye (cataract)
• Feet problems caused by damaged nerves or poor blood flow that can lead to serious skin infections, ulcerations, and in some severe cases, amputation
• Erectile dysfunction
• Bone and joint problems
• Teeth and gum infections

Patients who have a diagnosis of diabetes are added to our diabetes register.

If you are on the diabetes register you will be invited to make an appointment to have a blood test, weight check, BP check and foot check with a healthcare assistant, once a year, in your birthday month.

You will receive your results through the post and be offered a follow up appointment with one of the practice nurses who specialise in diabetes. This will either be face to face or by telephone. We offer early morning appointments for those who work. Some people will need additional appointments and follow-ups throughout the year. For those who need more help to improve their diabetes we have a community diabetes specialist nurse and a dietician who specialise in diabetes who visit the surgery once a month.

Diabetes UK: For general information about type 1 and type 2 diabetes, Diabetes UK is an excellent place to start https://www.diabetes.org.uk/

Here are some useful links to our local services:

Retinal screening queries: West Sussex Diabetic Eye Screening Programme tel 01903 285222 ext 84780

Podiatry: Download a self-referral form (click this link)

Desmond: This is a one day course designed for those with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes. During the pandemic it is being run virtually and is also suitable for those who already have diabetes. For further information please contact the DESMOND team here

Diabetes Community Nursing Team: You can access the diabetes community nursing team directly for help and advice about your diabetes (click this link). This can be useful if you have a problem with your diabetes and cannot speak to a member of staff at the surgery.

The resources below are here to help you to understand your condition and also link you to some self-care and good health advice.

Prediabetes is when your blood glucose levels are too high, but not high enough to be called diabetes (In Prediabetes, your HbA1c result is in the range 42-47).

People who develop type 2 diabetes usually have prediabetes first. If you have prediabetes, you are at much higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. You are also at risk of developing other health conditions, including heart disease or stroke.

When you are first diagnosed with prediabetes, the Practice will usually contact you with a letter and some information leaflets. Copies of those leaflets can be downloaded below:

Are you at risk of diabetes?

Patient booklet - Prediabetes

Reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes

Hear are some other resources to provide more information about the condition and support you to make any lifestyle changes to reduce your risk.

Pre-diabetes advice leaflet: Dietary-Advice-for-Pre-Diabetes

Healthier You (diabetes prevention programme): Healthier You

Chichester Wellbeing Website: Chichester district Wellbeing

There are numerous resources online for diets, but because many require big changes to our regular eating behaviours, we often relapse into the same (or even worse) eating habits when we stop them. It might be better to make regular small changes to our eating habits, rewarding ourselves for achieving positive steps rather than feeling bad about "slip-ups". 

Eating healthy food does not have to be more expensive than convenience food (and it is very often cheaper), but we might need to learn a few cooking skills or spend a little longer preparing it. This can be rewarding as well, so congratulate yourself each time you spend a few moments making something special and healthy.

We really do understand that trying to lose weight is not easy.  Finding a way to eat fewer calories than you “burn” is important, but it is not always as simple as "calories in versus calories out".

Making changes to our eating behaviour is difficult for all of us.  It is important to acknowledge that stress, work, family life, finances, and previous experiences will all play a part in how we live our lives and often produce challenges and barriers to any changes we would like to see.

We can’t expect to rely on willpower alone to make changes. If we can find ways to change our behaviours through introducing and embedding positive habits, we are more likely to be successful. Plan to make a small change to your eating routine and congratulate yourself every time you succeed. Before you know it, you will do it without thinking.

Science continues to discover more about the role of genetics, metabolic health, hormones and nutrition in weight loss.  The good news is, that from wherever you start, there will be an area of your life that you can change, which will improve your physical health, mental health, general wellbeing and in some cases reverse the condition you have been diagnosed with!