The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 269 No 7216 p392-394
21 September 2002

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  Community pharmacy
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Letters to the Editor

Diabetes

Guidance is available for early identification

From Mrs I. Gummerson, MRPharmS

I agree with Jacob Benouaich's comment (PJ, 31 August, p279) that it is important to find the hundreds of thousands of people, or as Diabetes UK says "the missing million", with undiagnosed diabetes for the reasons he states (helping to prevent expensive complications).

The National Service Framework for Diabetes — Standards (published in December 2001 and available at www.doh.gov.uk/nsf/diabetes) approves of opportunistic screening of people with multiple risk factors for diabetes, and also the use of a more systematic approach.

The UK National Screening Committee (NSC) has been asked to advise the Department of Health on opportunistic screening in diabetes. At present the NSC is against screening the whole population, but for screening those groups at risk for both diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The NSC, after following a programme of research into the subject, will make recommendations to the Department of Health in 2005. The Department will develop further milestones for the National Health Service on the basis of these recommendations.

Just to remind readers, the second part of the NSF (NSF for Diabetes — Delivery Strategy) was promised for summer 2002, for implementation in spring 2003. The Royal Pharmaceutical Society, in collaboration with Diabetes UK, has produced practice guidance on early identification of diabetes for those pharmacists who wish to be involved before the NSC finally deliberates. (Available from Angela Canning at the Society, tel 020 7572 2412 or e-mail acanning@rpsgb.org.uk).

In the past, some pharmacists have been criticised by other professions when they have tried to get involved in diabetes screening. The above guidance document takes account of the various concerns voiced.

Irene Gummerson
Wakefield, West Yorkshire

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