Employers urged to recognise the growing number of staff with diabetes

Many Scots living with diabetes have faced challenges at work, writes Angus Howarth

One in seven Scots with diabetes have faced discrimination at work, a new survey suggests.

The research by Diabetes UK found that of those with the condition who were in employment, 52 out of 361 (14 per cent) felt they had experienced discrimination because of it. Of those from Scotland who responded to the charity’s online Future of Diabetes survey, 227 out of 573 (40 per cent) said living with diabetes had caused them difficulty at work.

The Uk-wide online survey, which ran from June until August last year, also found 5 per cent of the 402 respondents who answered the question had not told their employer they have the condition.

Respondents said employers could better support those with diabetes by providing time off for diabetesrelated appointments and flexibility to take breaks.

Diabetes Scotland said the findings should trigger a wider conversation about managing long-term health conditions in the workplace.

National director Angela Mitchell said: “Hundreds of people across Scotland 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.

“Diabetes is one of the largest health crises of our time affecting more than 290,000 people in Scotland. Missing essential health checks or not taking medication on time can lead to devastating complications, such as amputations, stroke, heart disease, kidney failure and even early death.

“Discrimination and difficulties can arise because employers lack knowledge about diabetes and do not understand its impact.

“We need to talk more about the condition and the many ways it affects people’s lives in order to persuade workplaces to offer greater understanding and flexibility.”

It was reported in January that Scots patients were among those who have seen “astonishing” results from a Uk-wide medical trial aimed at combating diabetes with a strict diet. Patients from NHS Lothian participated in what is believed to be the first trial in the world that has successfully reversed the effects of type 2 diabetes.

0 Diabetes is affecting more Scots