Northumberland diabetes group to hold open meeting

The Amble and Warkworth Diabetes UK Group was set up last year by Dr Ben Burville, who is the Coquet Medical Group’s practice lead GP on diabetes.

The organisation is supported by national charity Diabetes UK to encourage patients to understand their condition better and deal with the lifestyle changes that diabetes demands.

And on Monday, the group is holding an open meeting in Amble, which will give people important advice about living with the condition.

It follows a recent announcement, which revealed that the number of people diagnosed with diabetes in the UK has increased by two-thirds in the past decade. In the north of England, 120,000 were diagnosed last year.

In the Amble, Hadston and Warkworth area, more than 900 patients of the Coquet Medical Group are diabetic. It is estimated that as many again have yet to be diagnosed.

Chairman of the Amble and Warkworth group, Derek Conway, said: “Dr Burville and diabetes nurse specialist Michelle James are utterly dedicated to helping patients understand diabetes and what they can do to ease the impact of the disease on daily living.

“Diabetics need to keep seeing their GP for qualified advice, but we do provide a forum to exchange experiences and that can be very informative, particularly for people in the early stages.”

Next week’s meeting is at 2pm in St Cuthbert’s Church Hall, Dovecote Street. For details, email [email protected] or call 07515 419050.