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This is the title of a report issued by the Parliamentary and Health Ombudsman on October 20th 2016 and the title page describes it as ‘How drivers have been let down by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’.

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It is essential that people with diabetes look after their feet properly to avoid ulcers as these can lead to amputations. Prevention of foot problems is very important, therefore your feet should be inspected every day, in addition to daily washing and moisturising. It is not always easy to inspect the soles of your feet but nevertheless, it is important especially for people who have neuropathy with loss of sensation, so they don’t feel pain if an injury occurs.

This mirror, called Solesee, is ideal to enable you to see the soles of your feet and it can be purchased from the IDDT Shop.

Knowing that nerves in your feet are damaged is vitally important – because this puts your feet at a higher risk of injury and requires you to be much more meticulous in your footcare.

Prof. Andrew Levy, at Bristol University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, has invented a clever tool that helps to quickly and easily identify an early sign of a problem with the feet – the inability of the nerves to distinguish between a touch and a vibration – the VibraTip^®, a small battery operated device, emits a calibrated vibration when squeezed. Only the operator knows when the VibraTip® is active because the device runs silently. If the patient cannot distinguish between a touch with vibration and a touch without vibration at the end of the big toe, nerve damage is suspected and further tests and advice are needed. Click here to read more

The simplicity of the test also allows a family member or friend to check patients’ feet at home, looking for those early signs of any loss in protective nerve function.

A VibraTip^® costs only £14.30 and can be ordered from the IDDT Shop or by phoning IDDT on 01604 622837. Each device is individually blister-packed and can be used thousands of times before it needs replacing.

Visit the IDDT shop.

Several new insulins have come to the market recently; three high strength insulins which have concentrations greater than the previously standard strength of U100 and biosimilar insulin.

The Trustees of IDDT have discussed the introduction of different strengths of insulin in depth and strongly expressed their concerns about the risks of errors by people with diabetes, health professionals and hospitals. These concerns come from their experiences of the introduction of the first genetically modified human insulin in the 1980s when there was a dearth of evidence of benefit and many people with diabetes were not informed of the differences from their previous natural animal insulin.

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The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has started a review of canagliflozin, dapagliflozin and empagliflozin, which are diabetes medicines known as SGLT2 inhibitors. This was requested by the European Commission following several reports of diabetic ketoacidosis in patients on SGLT2 inhibitor treatment for Type 2 diabetes. EMA will now review all available data on the risk of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) with SGLT2 inhibitors and consider whether any changes are needed in the way these medicines are used in the EU.

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The InDependent Diabetes Trust [IDDT] is all too aware of the difficulties that children with diabetes and their parents face in everyday life when managing the condition. One area that proves particularly problematic is managing the condition at school. With this in mind, IDDT has produced a new, FREE booklet, the Parents Passport for Schools.

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There is an urgent need for effective public health strategies to deal with diabetes, starting with more consistent NHS testing, says Jenny Hirst, Chair of the InDependent Diabetes Trust (IDDT).

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It is important that people have a fully informed choice of insulin so that they can choose the type of insulin and the regime that suits them and their lifestyle.

Insulin Choices – The Evidence
Animal insulins are available in the UK
Replacement pork insulin available in
Canada
Use of Pork Insulin in Pumps
Reviews and Reports