Tower Hamlets healthcare organisations have come together to raise awareness of diabetes among local residents.
A set of educational videos have been produced to help share vital information with anyone affected by the condition – or those who wish to reduce their risk of getting diabetes. They are produced by North East London Integrated Care Board in partnership with Tower Hamlets GP Care Group, Healthy Island Partnership and Blithehale Health Centre.
The videos are in English, Sylheti and Somali to ensure that as many people from Tower Hamlets communities as possible can access vital diabetes information – both those who may have the condition and their carers and relatives. The Care Group ensured the videos could reach a wider audience by dubbing the original English content into Sylheti and Somali.
See the YouTube video playlist in English, Sylheti and Somali.
With information presented by a range of healthcare professionals, including GPs, nurses, social prescribers and psychologists, together with experts with experience, the videos provide an accessible guide to everything people need to know about diabetes.
The videos cover important topics with advice and storytelling on various topics, including:
Diabetes is one of the most common diseases in England, with official Government estimates suggesting there were 3.6 million people in England with type 2 diabetes in 2021.
Dr Payam Torabi, Tower Hamlets GP and Clinical Lead for Population Health and Health Inequalities at North East London Integrated Care Board, said: “We are really excited to launch these videos, developed by Dr Ballal Seddique in conjunction with local partners. We hope they will support those living with diabetes to understand the condition better. It was important to us from the outset to make sure that videos are available in a range of languages spoken in Tower Hamlets to help make this information more widely accessible.”
Professor Tahseen Chowdhury, Diabetes Consultant at Barts Health NHS Trust, said: “I am really delighted to see these excellent short videos for people living with diabetes. They offer short, insightful, jargon-free advice for people living with the condition, as well as signposting where to find more information or seek more help. I would recommend all people living with diabetes and their families to take a look at them.”
Zainab Arian, Chief Executive of Tower Hamlets GP Care Group and Tower Hamlets Together Executive Board member, said: “We are committed to reducing health inequalities across Tower Hamlets and providing high quality information about diabetes treatment and prevention is one of the best ways we can do it. This is a brilliant initiative, and I hope it gets significant traction with all the diverse communities in our borough.”
Dr Somen Banerjee, Director of Public Health at Tower Hamlets Council, said: "Diabetes is one of the main illnesses affecting our residents of Tower Hamlets. It is a serious disease, but by healthcare workers and patients working together it can be controlled and even stopped in its tracks. These new videos are a powerful tool to help residents with diabetes feel informed, confident and supported. By making key information clear and accessible, we're empowering patients to take control of their health and live well with diabetes."
