Diabetes screening service criticised

Health officials in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly have come under fire for reportedly neglecting the government’s NHS Health Check programmen, which includes assessing people for their risk of diabetes.
Under the programmen, people aged between 40 and 74, are invited once every five years for a health assessment, which for diabetes includes checking blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
However, charity group Diabetes UK claims that none of these diabetes tests were offered to people in the area last year, which is concerning given that early diagnosis of the disease can help reduce the risk of developing diabetes-related complications such as blindness, heart disease, amputation and kidney failure.
Dr John Garman from Scilly’s Health Centre responded by saying the local surgery has been offering their own version of the screening programme for all over 40s for some time, but results aren’t recognised as it’s not part of the government’s scheme.
He added that any islanders concerned about diabetes should contact the surgery for advice or book an appointment to see a doctor .