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Diabetes Week 2025: Let's talk about annual diabetes health checks, living well and planning for pregnancy with diabetes

Diabetes Week 2025

 

Diabetes Week 2025: Let’s talk about annual diabetes health checks, living well and planning for pregnancy with diabetes  

Diabetes Week is an opportunity to raise awareness about the things that matter to people living with diabetes, shining a light on what it’s like to live with diabetes day in, day out.  

This year, the Diabetes UK theme is “We want to talk about the health checks you need when you have diabetes.” 

We have also provided an update to our Executive Director of Public Health’s Report on Diabetes, published last November – scroll down to the bottom of the page to read more on this. 

 

What checks can I expect to have when I have diabetes? 

If you are living with diabetes you should be offered an appointment with a nurse at your GP surgery every year to have your annual check, often referred to as a “diabetes annual review”.  This is a really important appointment where you can speak to the nurse about any questions you have about your diabetes, ask for advice about healthy eating and exercise, and find out more about local services that can support you to live well with diabetes.  

Before this appointment you will usually have been asked to: 

  • Have a blood test to check your kidney health, cholesterol levels, and HbA1c (this measures your average blood glucose levels over the past 3 months). 

  • Bring in a urine sample to check your heart and kidney health (called a urine ACR) 

 

During the diabetes annual review, or beforehand, you will have: 

  • Your blood pressure checked; 

  • Your height and weight measured; 

  • Your feet examined for diabetes-related changes; 

  • And you will be asked if you currently smoke so that you can be provided with help to stop smoking and/or referred to our free Help me Quit service. 

At your diabetes annual review, the nurse will discuss the results of your blood and urine tests, your blood pressure reading and foot examination findings, and will let you know if you need to make any changes to your current medication or to start any new medication.   

Visit the Diabetes UK website for more information on diabetes health checks (annual review). 

 

Eye screening checks for people living with diabetes 

Everyone aged 12 or older with diabetes will be contacted every 1-2 years by Diabetic Eye Screening Wales (DESW) and invited to have a diabetes eye check. 

During this appointment photographs will be taken of your eyes to see if your diabetes is affecting them; this is different to an eye test at your local optician.  

It is important to attend your diabetes eye screening appointment because it can pick up diabetes-related changes to your eyes before they cause any symptoms or affect your eyesight. If any changes are found they can be monitored and, if necessary, you will be referred for further assessment and potential treatment at a hospital.  

More information about diabetic eye screening, including what happens during the eye test, is available on the Public Health Wales website. 

 

Planning a pregnancy with diabetes 

Preconception care is crucial for women living with diabetes to ensure healthier outcomes for both mothers and babies. Managing diabetes effectively before conception can significantly reduce the risk of complications during pregnancy and childbirth.  

Here’s why it matters: 

  • Better blood sugar control: Achieving optimal blood sugar levels before pregnancy can prevent birth defects and reduce the risk of miscarriage: Aim for an HbA1c of 48mmol/mol (6.5%) before conception to reduce risks.  

  • Reduced complications: Good preconception care can lower the chances of preeclampsia, preterm birth, and other pregnancy-related complications. This includes a medication review to stop drugs that may be harmful in pregnancy and taking high dose Folic acid. 

  • Healthier babies: Babies born to mothers with well-managed diabetes, are less likely to experience issues such as macrosomia (baby being larger than average) and neonatal hypoglycaemia (baby having low blood sugar after birth). 

  • Empowered mothers: Women who receive preconception care are better prepared for the demands of pregnancy and can make informed decisions about their health and the health of their baby. 

In CTMUHB, the team have devised posters and leaflets which are displayed in local businesses and community premises to highlight the support that our diabetes teams can offer women planning a pregnancy to work together for better outcomes for mothers and babies. 

View the information poster. 

 

For more information, visit: 

 

Learn more about diabetes and speak to our experts 

Colleagues from our Public Health, Nutrition and Dietetics teams, Occupational Health, and Wellness Improvement Service, with representation from Diabetes UK, will be hosting information stands throughout the week. You can also chat with people living with diabetes from Diabetes UK Cwmbach Group and Diabetic Dragons. 

If you’re visiting one of the sites, stop by to learn more about the support available from CTM for those living with diabetes, including: 

  • Joining a free Diabetes Type 2 education programme 

  • Support to help you lose weight 

  • Information on the different group education programmes available in CTM 

  • Paediatric diabetes services 

  • The All Wales Diabetes Prevention Programme 

  • Reducing your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes 

  • Other useful support 

 

Dates and locations of the stands 

The stands will run between 10am and 3pm at the following sites: 

  • Monday 9 June - Prince Charles Hospital Entrance 5 

  • Tuesday 10 June - Royal Glamorgan Hospital Front Entrance  

  • Friday 13 June - Princess of Wales Hospital outside the Pharmacy  

  • All week - Ysbyty Cwm Cynon Main Foyer 

 

Update on our Director of Public Health’s Report on Diabetes 

Last November, on World Diabetes Day 2024, CTM UHB’s Executive Director of Public Health, Philip Daniels, released a report highlighting the prevalence of diabetes across the region. 

Amongst the report’s findings was the stark statistic that the CTM area has some of the highest levels of people who are living with overweight or obesity in Wales; including adults and children. 

Since we published the report, we have been reviewing our local diabetes prevention and diabetes services. We are currently developing a 5-year diabetes action plan for CTM UHB, working together across the health board to: 

  1. Prevent or delay the development of type 2 diabetes in those with increased risk; 

  1. Ensure that we provide gold standard diabetes care for all those living with diabetes in CTM. 

Philip Daniels, Executive Director of Public Health, said: “When we published our report last November, the stark figures we shared were a call to action and since then, we’ve been working hard to respond.  

The review our of local diabetes prevention and diabetes services, as well as the five-year diabetes action plan, are part of our wider commitment to creating healthier communities and tackling obesity through long-term, system-wide change.  

We’re continuing to work closely with our partners and communities to shape environments that support healthy choices, reduce the financial cost of treating diabetes, and improve wellbeing for children and adults across CTM.” 

 

09/06/2025