Meeting of the Parliament 12 November 2014
I congratulate my colleague Dave Stewart on securing this debate; I also congratulate Diabetes UK on its very helpful briefings. I should also say that I am a new member of the cross-party group on diabetes, having just joined the other week, and I very much look forward to working with my colleagues on it.
I want to focus on an issue that Dave Stewart has highlighted in his motion, which is the experience of parents whose children are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and the importance of promoting education in and awareness of the early-warning signs and symptoms of diabetes in children and young people. There is no question but that a child receiving a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes is a heartbreaking and life-changing experience for any parent. The amount of care that a child with type 1 diabetes needs can be very significant. Parents speak of having to test blood glucose levels multiple times an hour through the night after an adverse event, and maintaining good blood glucose levels can be a daily struggle, with parents fearing for their child’s safety should those levels rise too high or drop too low. It can be a constant—and sometimes nerve-wracking—juggling act.
That said, we should note the support and assistance that are now very often available to parents. For example, the roll-out of insulin pumps is regarded by many parents—and by Diabetes UK—as a very positive step forward.
Pump therapy not only removes to a very large extent the need for multiple daily injections, but the flexible way in which the pump can be set to deliver insulin can benefit overall wellbeing. I do not wish to be too technical, but an insulin pump can be calibrated very precisely according to the amount of carbohydrate in a meal and the pre-meal blood glucose level, which allows for the very precise delivery of insulin and, ideally, improved control of blood glucose levels.
Some health boards—Dumfries and Galloway NHS Board, for example—use Diasend technology so that the insulin pump’s data can be uploaded over the internet. That enables the diabetes team to examine it and recommend changes without the need for hospital appointments. The information will also be there for parents and their child to see, which empowers them to take greater control over the management of the condition.
The increasing prevalence of type 1 diabetes presents us with a significant public health challenge, of course. There is as yet no cure, so sound management of the condition is a key tool that is available to help us tackle the serious complications that the condition can cause.
As the incidence of the condition is on the increase, it is all the more important that parents are aware of the warning signs. Sudden unexplained weight loss, extreme tiredness, raging thirst and frequent urination are the key warning signs that parents should be aware of.
I warmly welcome Diabetes UK’s campaign to raise awareness of the warning signs of type 1 diabetes and to explain not only how children with diabetes will be treated, but the support and advice that that organisation can offer, through the provision of local support groups, on a wide range of issues, including care for a type 1 diabetic when they start school.
With the imminent publication of the diabetes improvement plan, the debate has been a particularly timely one on an important issue. I congratulate Dave Stewart once again on bringing the debate to the chamber, I look forward to reading the improvement plan, and I very much look forward to participating in the future work of the cross-party group on diabetes.
17:17