We distributed following leaflet to staff and patients at Gate 12, Southmead hospital. If you are diabetic, or your friends or family members, and if you have a hard time getting the health care you need, get in touch…
Patient for too long – How long did you have to wait for your appointment?
We often have to wait a long time before getting an appointment, seeing a doctor or getting the right equipment, such as insulin pumps. NHS staff and patients get frustrated with each other, but the situation is not caused by either of them. There are just not enough resources put into the health system and they want to introduce even further cuts in the future.
As patients we have to stand up for ourselves and we invite NHS staff to support us in this. If you are a patient who feels that they don’t receive the care they need, if you feel frustrated and isolated, get in touch – together we can organise ourselves…
vitalsignsmag@proton.me
Patients and NHS workers for better staffing and resources
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Where is Southmead hospital’s staff and resources for the projected universal ‘closed-loop system’ rollout?
If you are a Type 1 diabetic, artificial pancreases are now available on the NHS. These are known as the ‘closed-loop system’, where an insulin pump and related blood sugar sensor is coordinated by an algorithm. This allows a smooth, automated control of blood sugar levels without injections. The ground-breaking technology has already been rolled out for over 70% of UK children with Type 1 diabetes, and the intention is to now ensure that 100% of Type 1 sufferers are enabled to move across to closed-loop in the near future, with initial priority for those of us from disadvantaged groups. The roll out is enthusiastically encouraged by advocacy charities such as Diabetes UK and Breakthrough T1D. So, we need to ask, how is Southmead Hospital’s Diabetes & Endocrinology Department staffed and monetised to perform this task?
Years of Clinical Care Neglect for Diabetics, & “Austerity” Under-Funding Policies
Both major hospitals in Bristol are unable to carry out the planned roll out. For many years they have instead been pursuing a policy of privatisation and “austerity”, chipping away at a once-excellent NHS Diabetic Care until there is virtually nothing left. This policy negatively impacts BOTH Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetics. Even patients with severe complications often have to wait 2 years or more to receive a single appointment due to a desperate lack of staff and funds at Southmead Hospital. Such neglect has to stop! We need the administration to urgently provide our department with the necessary staff and resources, to enable them to carry out their obligations as a functioning part of the NHS.
What We Can Do as Patients & Staff
We propose a collectivity of diabetic patients and their care providers to come together and apply pressure on Southmead Hospital’s administration and the related NHS funding bodies. This is the most effective means of getting results going forward. If you are interested in the collective, in offering support in some way or in taking part, contact us…
