REVEALED: SHOCKING TREATMENT OF DIABETICS
THOUSANDS of Britons are being unfairly targeted at work simply because they have diabetes, research today reveals.
Sufferers have been forced to quit their jobs because bosses have little understanding of the debilitating, lifelong condition. The true impact of the disorder – described as a national crisis – is laid bare in the first comprehensive analysis of workplace attitudes towards a disease that now affects four million people in the UK.
One in six says their employer makes life more difficult because of the illness, while a third claim the disorder makes their job unbearably stressful. The majority say they suffer in silence and use their annual holiday allocation to attend vital check-ups.
Experts say widespread ignorance about the life-threatening condition
means employers are not only flouting the law, but preventing a rich pool of talent from realising its potential.
Helen Dickens, from Diabetes UK, said: “Thousands of people across the UK have spoken out about how a lack of understanding from their employers can make working with diabetes not just exhausting and stressful, but also potentially life-threatening.
“We heard from people who had to give up their jobs in order to manage their condition safely.
“Diabetes is one of the largest health crises of our time. Missing essential health checks or not taking medication on time can lead to devastating complications.”
Diabetes UK says three in five sufferers experience emotional or mental health problems. A fifth have used support or counselling from a trained professional to help them manage their condition, while a third have turned to self-help materials.
More than a third of sufferers say their condition causes them difficulty at work, a quarter are forced to take time off for medical appointments, in addition to regular breaks for blood sugar testing, while seven per cent are too scared to tell anyone about it.
The disturbing findings come from a survey run by Diabetes UK and completed by almost 10,000 people, of whom nearly nine in 10 said the condition made them feel down.
The charity wants the results of its Future of Diabetes poll to start a national conversation about the impact of long-term health conditions in the workplace.
To prevent the onset of potentially fatal complications, diabetes sufferers must have regular health checks and test their blood sugar levels several times a day.
Type 1 occurs when the pancreas, a small gland behind the stomach, fails to produce insulin – the hormone regulating blood glucose levels. If the amount of glucose is too high it can, over time, damage vital organs.
Just 10 per cent of all sufferers have Type 1, but it is the most common type of childhood diabetes.
In Type 2, the pancreas fails to produce enough insulin or the cells do not react to insulin meaning glucose
remains in the bloodstream and is not used as fuel for energy.
Yet the condition need not be a barrier to success. Prime Minister Theresa May injects herself with insulin up to five times a day after being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2012, but has refused to allow the illness to hold her back.
Asked by a fellow patient about her own experience, Mrs May, 61, said: “I am a Type 1 diabetic. That means when I eat, I have to inject insulin, which I do. I will be injecting myself four or five times a day... you just get into a routine.
“You depend on that insulin and you just build that routine into your daily life.
“The crucial thing to me is being a diabetic doesn’t stop you from doing anything.”
On being diagnosed, she said: “I’d had a bad cold and cough for quite a few weeks. I went to my GP and she did a blood test which showed I’d got a very high sugar level – that’s what revealed the diabetes.
“The symptoms are tiredness, drinking a lot of water, losing weight, but it’s difficult to isolate things. I was drinking a lot of water. But I do anyway.
“There was weight loss but then I was already making an effort to be careful about diet and to get my gym sessions in.
“Tiredness – speak to any politician and they will tell you the hours they work. Tiredness can be part of the job. It is full on.”
There are thought to be at least 2.2 million sufferers aged between 20 and 69 who are working, two million of whom are over 40. But the epidemic gripping Britain is much larger.
More than four million people are blighted by diabetes but a further 12 million living chronically unhealthy lifestyles are at increased risk of Type 2. It means 25 per cent of the UK population has or could develop, an illness that can lead to blindness, amputation, heart and kidney disease, strokes and death.
Type 2 now affects one in 10 UK adults and cases are soaring due to our obsession with sugary snacks. There is a new diagnosis every two minutes.
Diabetes has become a huge burden on the NHS, costing £14billion a year to treat, or £1million every hour, with the number of prescriptions issued for the disorder rocketing by 80 per cent in just a decade.
Type 2 sufferer Maggie Meer, who founded the Diabetes Professional Care conference, said: “It’s appalling so many diabetics face discrimination in the workplace because their employers and colleagues are ill-informed about their condition.
“Swift action is now needed to better educate employers so they appreciate the seriousness of diabetes and can offer employees the support they need, rather than belittle their illness.”
Diabetes UK said: “We need to talk more about the condition and how it affects people’s lives. Everyone deserves to work in an environment where they can ask for the support they need.”