Andrew Dismore

Andrew Dismore AM, Labour London Assembly member for Barnet and Camden, speaking at the London Assembly Health Committee today, revealed that whilst Barnet had the second highest number of diabetes sufferers in London, the take up of diabetes screening in the borough was precisely zero.

Mr Dismore said:

“The NHS Vascular Screening Health Checks programme was implemented in England April 2009 for people aged 40-74. According to Diabetes UK, across London 19 per cent of eligible people were offered the checks during 2011/12. But in Barnet only 2 per cent of those eligible for screening were even offered it, which compares badly with Brent, where 36 per cent were offered screening.

And when we look at take up figures it is even worse: whilst the highest take-up during 2011/12 was 10 per cent in Haringey, the lowest was precisely zero per cent – in Barnet.

Barnet, after Croydon who have a slightly higher number, has more diabetes sufferers than anywhere else in London, a total of 22,186 patients.  Diabetes UK also estimate that 27.8% of diabetes sufferers in Barnet are undiagnosed, which makes the need for screening even more important.  We also know that people of south Asian origin are genetically predisposed to diabetes, and with over 10% of Barnet’s population of this ethnicity, and estimated to increase by a further 10% by 2016,  the failure to conduct a proper screening programme is all the more woeful.

The Conservative led coalition Government is letting the people of Barnet down. And Barnet Council itself has fallen down on the job, by not scrutinising this appalling record. And what of Barnet’s MPs? Whilst those from Finchley and Chipping Barnet have been generally supportive of diabetes campaigns, the only time the MP for Hendon appears to have done anything was to vote for an unsuccessful amendment to water down the Diabetes Prevention Bill, introduced by Keith Vaz MP”.

 

Borough	Number of people	Prevalence	Borough	Number of people	Prevalence
			Hillingdon	15,703	7.4%
City of London	620	5.2%	Hounslow	15,345	7.9%
Barking and Dagenham	9,655	7.3%	Islington	9,955	6.1%
Barnet	22,186	7.9%	Kensington and Chelsea	10,955	7.3%
Bexley	13,187	7.2%	Kingston upon Thames	8,619	6.0%
Brent	20,522	10.2%	Lambeth	15,313	6.4%
Bromley	17,919	7.0%	Lewisham	15,037	6.9%
Camden	12,104	5.9%	Merton	11,204	6.4%
Croydon	22,526	8.1%	Newham	17,235	9.7%
Ealing	21,678	8.4%	Redbridge	18,318	8.5%
Enfield	18,366	7.9%	Richmond upon Thames	9,846	6.2%
Greenwich	12,825	7.1%	Southwark	15,800	6.3%
Hackney	13,307	7.9%	Sutton	10,688	6.8%
Hammersmith and Fulham	8,849	6.3%	Tower Hamlets	13,552	7.0%
Haringey	13,587	7.4%	WalthamForest	14,319	8.2%
Harrow	17,397	9.2%	Wandsworth	13,740	5.6%
Havering	14,212	7.3%	Westminster	14,414	6.2%