Meeting dates for 2010

These are the dates for our meetings at Avenue House, Finchley.   All meetings are on Wednesdays and start promptly at 7.30pm.  Please try to arrive on time.

As usual everybody is welcome, and admission is free.

Quiz Tea

Once again we are holding our annual Quiz Tea.   It is the same as any other quiz evening that you may have been to, but it takes place in the late afternoon.   This year it is on Sunday 21 November starting at 4.30 (refreshments from 4pm).   It will finish by 7pm.

It takes place at Manor Drive Methodist Church, Manor Drive / York Way, Whetstone, N20.   We ask for a suggested voluntary donation of £10 which includes a magnificent tea - all you can eat and more!

The questions are aimed at people from all ages !!   In previous years it has been a great success and is a lot of fun.
If you would like to come along, please book a ticket early.   You can e-mail for further details, or telephone 020 8205 0668 (leave a message on the answering machine if nobody is in).

Expert Patient Programme

Barnet residents living with long-term health conditions are being offered the chance to get greater control of their condition and improve their health with support from the Expert Patient Programme (EPP).

Free places are available on the next course which is organised by NHS Barnet. The programmes are delivered by people with experience of long-term health conditions.

The Expert Patient Programme (EPP) has been successfully running in Barnet since 2003. EPP offers individuals with long-term health conditions the opportunity to participate on a course which provides training in the self-management of their long-term health condition (e.g. diabetes, asthma, heart disease, back pain, sickle cell or any other long-term condition). Many participants also find that they make lasting friendships with their fellow participants.

The free course runs 2 ½ hours a week for six weeks and includes information about:

• Working in partnership with healthcare professionals
  
  
• Communicating with family and friends
  
  
• Planning and setting goals
  
  
• How to manage conditions
  
  
• Recognising and acting upon symptoms
  
  
• Making effective use of available treatments and medicines
  
  
• Accessing services and developing techniques in dealing with the emotional effects of the illness.


One participant who attended an EPP course said, "I found the course helpful because it has made me think in a more positive way. I find that I have come to terms with my condition and the ladies that run the course….were very nice and understanding."

Previous participants on the courses have found that they have learnt how to manage their symptoms and make the most of their life. They learn how to understand their emotions and think about nutrition, relaxation, exercise and planning. Participants frequently report that they suffer with less severe symptoms at the end of the course and have a greater feeling of control over their condition. This in turn gives them greater self confidence and a much better quality of life.

To register on a course or for further information, please contact the Expert Patients Programme Coordinator on 020 8937 7641 or e-mail Expert Patients Programme.

Donating blood

Have you previously donated blood but because of your medication you have been told that you can no longer do so ?   The rules have changed, and it maybe possible for you to give once again.   Even if you have never given before this maybe a good opportunity.

Contact the local Blood Transfusion Centre (probably at Edgware Community Hospital) and find out if you are eligible to donate to this valuable service.   For further information go to www.blood.co.uk or / and call them on 0300 123 23 23.

Retinal screening in Barnet

Since 2007 all people with diabetes have been called to either Torrington Park Health Centre or Edgware Community Hospital for their retinal screening. This is carried out using digital retinal photography by a highly skilled team of retinal screeners. All results are quality assured and linked to the Diabetes register. There are now over 15,000 people with diabetes in Barnet.

Everyone sees their own photographs and has their results explained to them. The pictures are accessible at Barnet Hospital, Edgware Community Hospital, Torrington Park Health Centre and potentially at the Royal Free Hospital by the diabetes and eye specialists. The screening team have immediate access to the Ophthalmologists at Barnet and arrangement for treatment for retinopathy, cataract or any other condition is therefore very easy.

Barnet continues to perform as one of the best screening programmes in London.

Unwanted jewellery

A message from Colin Dexter, author of Inspector Morse.

If anyone has an odd cufflink or a watch that doesn’t tick, I urge them to send it to Diabetes UK who will then convert the old jewellery into crucial funds to support diabetes research projects.

It was Diabetes UK's 75th Anniversary in 2009, and the charity is aiming to raise £75,000 from the Old Jewellery Appeal to mark this occasion.

These numbers are rising at an alarming rate so it is important we do all we can to raise awareness of diabetes and help find a cure. You can send any unwanted jewellery to: Old Jewellery Appeal, Diabetes UK, FREEPOST LON12854, London, NW1 2YF.

Driving discrimination for people with diabetes

Diabetes UK welcomes a new study* showing that people with diabetes, do not have more car accidents than those without the condition. People with insulin-dependent diabetes are subject to tighter regulations, when it comes to being granted driving licences, as it is perceived that they could be more likely to cause accidents as they have an increased risk of hypoglycaemia.

Researchers found the rate of road traffic collisions in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes to be lower (with 957 accidents per 100,000) than those who did not have the condition (1469 accidents per 100,000) when the group were considered as a whole. When the groups were stratified according to age there was no significant difference in accident rate between the 2 groups at any age.

Diabetes UK believes that having diabetes does not mean people should give up driving but they do need to plan in advance before getting behind the wheel. The charity is campaigning for an end to discriminatory driving laws that affect those on insulin who drive larger vehicles and some passenger carrying vehicles.

Simon O'Neill, Diabetes UK Director of Care, Information and Advocacy, said: "As long as the diabetes is well-controlled and there are no complications that would impair someone's safety as a driver and your doctor confirms this if asked. Current restrictions affect the livelihood of people with diabetes as for example they cannot become bus drivers or lorry drivers and some might be prevented from becoming taxi drivers due to local authorities policies.

"Diabetes UK recommends that people with diabetes check their blood glucose levels before they get behind the wheel and regularly during the journey to avoid having a hypoglycaemic episode. They should also avoid long or stressful trips if they are tired and consult their doctor or diabetes specialist nurse if they are concerned about driving."

The study, carried out at the Peninsula Medical School and Peninsula Research and Development Unit in Exeter, looked at the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary database on road traffic collisions and the district retinal screening database to create a record of road traffic collisions in the diabetes population.

One of the researchers, Doctor Kathryn Lonnen, SpR in diabetes and endocrinology said: "We found that this group of people as a whole poses no such risk, implying that insulin is not a good surrogate of increased risk. Of course it is still essential to have individual risk based assessment for people with diabetes, insulin treated or not, to make sure that their driving experience remains safe and hazard-free."

Diabetes UK advises that people who have just started taking insulin, have difficulty recognising the early symptoms of hypoglycaemia, have problem with their eyesight that cannot be corrected by glasses or have numbness or weakness in the limbs from neuropathy (diabetic nerve damage) should not drive.

People with diabetes that is treated with insulin must, by law, inform the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) as soon as it is diagnosed. Those who take tablets for the condition and have a related complication such as retinopathy must also do the same.

* Research carried out by K.F. Lonnen, R.J. Powell, D. Taylor, A.C Shore, and K. M. Macleod at the Peninsula Medical School, Exeter and Peninsula Research and Development Unit. Published in Diabetic Medicine volume 25 issue 5, page 578-584 (2008), May 2008.

Used needles

The collection of used needles kept in 'sharpsbins', is dealt with by:

London Borough of Barnet
Environmental Health        
Building 9a                           
Bittacy Hill                            
London NW7                        

telephone: 020 8359 5045  

The preferred way of storing used needles prior to collection is by using 'sharpsbins'.
These are available on prescription.