Diabetes Supporting Statements

There can be little doubt that the ever-increasing prevalence of diabetes, often linked to obesity, is a public health emergency. At a time like this it is vital that the NHS maximises the skills of the entire work force. Pharmacists have a key role to play both in the early identification of diabetes, as well as supporting self-care, management, monitoring and myriad other aspects of this important and challenging condition.

Pharmacists are highly-skilled healthcare professionals who play an important role in delivering care to patients in the community and are increasingly becoming vital members of GP practice teams across the country. They carry out essential tasks such as medication reviews and managing repeat prescriptions for patients with long-term conditions, including type 2 diabetes, and as such we support the recommendations made in this document.

We are delighted with this very timely and pertinent national policy document produced by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society clearly demonstrating the value of pharmacists in the care of type 2 diabetes today. 

The nursing profession hugely appreciate pharmacists’ contribution in supporting those with diabetes as well as other long term conditions, and recognise them as an essential and important member of the wider multidisciplinary team.

Pharmacists and their teams in all sectors can make an important contribution in preventing the onset of diabetes and supporting better health for people who already have diabetes by providing healthy lifestyle advice, for example on stopping smoking, improving diet and nutrition, reducing alcohol consumption and increasing physical activity. Health champions in Healthy Living Pharmacies could play a critical role in this important health improvement ambition.

There are currently 3.8 million people diagnosed with diabetes; with another million people living with undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes and a further 5 million at high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, the burden not only for the individuals affected, but also for the NHS as whole, is huge.

Pharmacists work with patients in their communities every day. Involving pharmacists more in diabetes prevention and management and integrating them into the multidisciplinary team is vitally important to ensure people get the care they need when they need it.

The diabetes specialist nurse forum is passionate about connecting healthcare professionals together, sharing best practice and growing an online diabetes healthcare professional community. 

We think it is fantastic that the RPS are pulling everyone together and recognising each other’s strengths. We see immense value in pharmacists as an integral part of diabetes care, providing education and advice to people living with diabetes and healthcare professionals alike.  

Pharmacists are key in detecting prescription errors and reducing waste with medications, by working together we can save time and use resources more effectively to ensure the NHS can continue to provide excellent healthcare for our future generations. 

When you have a shared vision as a multi-disciplinary team, openness to discuss and explore new concepts to further person centred collaborative care, the opportunities are endless.

Peripheral neuropathy is one of the long-term complications associated with diabetes and can cause significant pain. Medicines most effective for neuropathic pain often are not traditional analgesic medicines; they include antidepressants, such as amitriptyline and duloxetine; and anti-epileptics, like gabapentin and pregabalin. However, each of these medicines individually is only effective for a relatively small proportion of people. Diabetic painful neuropathy is managed most effectively within a biopsychosocial framework. 

The British Pain Society wishes to ensure that patients have access to appropriate and effective treatments with diabetic painful neuropathy. Pharmacists may support people taking medicines for diabetic neuropathy ensuring that they provide sufficient benefit and the minimum of side effects.

The initiative of RPS to involve pharmacists in delivering diabetes care is the step in the right direction and will go a long way in tackling health inequalities in the NHS. It will also address one of the long standing health needs of the UK South Asian communities to provide culturally competent diabetes health care in the community. 

The South Asian Health Foundation has been involved in a pilot of delivering health education through pharmacist in Ramadan that has been very well received. We at SAHF our very supportive of involving pharmacist in delivering diabetes care and applaud RPS for their efforts.

The type 2 diabetes epidemic continues to grow. It now affects millions of individuals in the UK. Tackling this requires appropriate awareness, knowledge and support for all people with type 2 diabetes, and those at risk of developing the condition. 

Pharmacists’ position in communities and within healthcare teams provides much opportunity. This policy document provides an excellent framework to guide the increasing role pharmacists will play in type 2 diabetes care. 

The British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO) is keen to encourage and support greater levels of partnerships across disciplines in providing integrated and quality care to patients. The role of pharmacists in the care of long term conditions is one that we as doctors recognise as being vitally important and appreciate more today than ever before.

Type 2 diabetes and associated risks are particularly high amongst the South Asian and black minority ethnic groups. Pharmacists have a key role to play in its prevention, early detection and long term management. Also, pharmacists are well placed in supporting better use of medicines through medicines optimisation.

We welcome and strongly support the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s national policy for type 2 diabetes and the need to work more collaboratively with pharmacists in the various care settings as we move towards providing a more integrated system of care. This can only be good for patients as well as the NHS. 

Pharmacists have a key role to play in supporting people who have or may be at risk of developing type 2 diabetes; they can help with prevention, screening and medicines optimisation.

Pharmacists are increasingly working across care settings and they can support the delivery of integrated care, working with other healthcare professionals as part of multi-disciplinary teams to help patients achieve better health outcomes and an improved quality of life, in line with the aims and objectives of the NHS. 

This policy is pivotal in defining the future contribution that pharmacists can make to the improvement of care to people with type 2 diabetes.

As a physiotherapist leading an award winning diabetes health care professional education team, traversing primary, secondary care and academia at the world renowned Leicester Diabetes Centre, I really welcome this policy document and initiative. 

To have a national policy that aligns and connects with health care professionals who are working to improve care in Type 2 Diabetes through the pharmacy profession is commendable. It is vital to educate, developing appropriate skill and competence at scale nationally. 

We very much hope to work together consolidating best practice and supporting the work that you continue to do through the society, and will support and help in any way as passionate educators of pharmacists and clinical stakeholder’s moving forward.