Pharmacies to assess type 2 diabetes and stroke risks

Pharmacies across Wales have begun offering free health assessments as part of a new campaign aimed at finding one in ten people who are at risk of diabetes and stroke.
According to Diabetes UK Cymru, an estimated 350,000 people in Wales are unaware that they “run a high risk of getting type 2 diabetes”, while 11,000 people suffer a stroke every year.
To help tackle these figures, the country’s health boards, pharmacies and other health organisations have joined forces to launch the One in Ten project. Under the campaign, every pharmacy in Wales will offer free walk-in health assessments over the next two weeks in a bid to help predict people’s risk of stroke or type 2 diabetes.
People will be given a short assessment to identify risk factors such as being overweight or obese and smoking. Depending on results, at-risk individuals will either receive referral letters for their GPs or be advised to mention their status to their doctor .
Dai Williams, director of Diabetes UK Cymru, said: “If this campaign can find even a fraction of [the 350,000 people at risk], it will be worthwhile because like stroke, diabetes is heavily related to lifestyle. If you know your risk, you can take steps for a healthier future.”
The project marks the first time that a pharmacy campaign in Wales has focused on two major health conditions at the same time.
It is being run by Community Pharmacy Wales, the Welsh government’s Public Health Wales Unit, Diabetes UK Cymru and the Stroke Associatio, with support from all seven Welsh health boards.