My Story: People with diabetes need more emotional support

Neil Collins is a Waltham Forest resident and Diabetes UK Service Champion, working to promote better care for people with diabetes. Read his blog:

I want people with diabetes to know about the 15 healthcare essentials. These are checks and services that should be available to people with diabetes from their healthcare team. If you feel you aren’t getting all the care you need, take a checklist to your healthcare team.

The 15 healthcare essentials include some checks you should have annually such as having your blood glucose levels measured, your blood pressure taken, your eyes screened, feet checked and kidney function monitored.

One of the 15 concerns psychological support and I am particularly concerned that people are being left to struggle with the emotional impact of the condition and too few are offered this support.

I was diagnosed with diabetes 29 years ago and know that living with diabetes means never having a day off from managing your condition. People with diabetes will tell you that coping with the condition can be exhausting and stressful. Getting the right emotional help can make a difference and can improve people’s mental health as well as their physical health.

The rate of depression is twice as high in people with diabetes than in the general population and levels of anxiety and eating disorders are also significantly higher. Depression can lead to poorer self-care which can lead to an increased risk of devastating complications such as blindness, stroke, heart attack, kidney failure and amputation.

Giving more people access to appropriate emotional support could help the NHS save money by helping them to self-manage and reduce the risk of complications.

I want GPs to consider the emotional needs of people with diabetes as part of personal care planning — because this can open the door for people to get further professional support.

I am a Service Champion for Diabetes UK and know that diabetes is a 24/7 condition. When you are diagnosed it can be a great shock. Anxiety and worry manifests itself in different ways. People may need emotional help at different times, for example, when they experience hypos, start to need insulin injections or start to have problems with their eyesight.

It’s vital that professionals understand diabetes so that they can offer the right support at the right time. Even with my background knowledge, I am concerned that I may not get the help I need when I need it.