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Diabetes Summit 2021 - The Patient Perspective

Our third Diabetes Summit, this one focused on the theme of the all important perspective of the person with diabetes.     You can see the video hereWelcome to Summit 2021 - Pat Spellman (Board member, Diabetes Foundation Aotearoa, Ngāti Maru)Hosted by - John Baker (Chairman, Diabetes Foundation Aotearoa) and Selah Hart (CEO, Hāpai Te Hauora)ProgrammeThe DCSS Primary Care AuditTreatment of Type 2 diabetes in Tamaki MakaurauPresented by Distinguished Professor David Simmons ...

In the News:

Professor David Simmons of Western Sydney University School of Medicine (previously specialist in Counties Manukau and current advisor to Diabetes Foundation Aotearoa)  has spoken to Stephen Forbes, Local Democracy Reporter for Stuff, about his belief that the system is failing people with diabetes and an "independent watchdog to help stop growth of disease" is needed.  The article reports the Ministry of Health as saying "diabetes is the country’s fastest-growing health conditi...

New Project Announcement - Getting new medications to those most in need?

The new medications, Jardiance and Trulicity have at last been approved by Pharmac.  This is an excellent start, and has been thanks to the dedication over a number years of a number of people...clinicians, patients, organisations, and advocates.The next question however is, how to get those medications to those who will really benefit most.   It is well known that some groups are more likely to uptake new treatments, others not so much.  This tends to widen the disparity bet...

An Important Change to Diabetes Medications has happened

Call your doctor right now to see if you are eligible. If you are eligible, these new medications willreduce your risk of needing insulin[1], andreduce your risk of dying from heart attack or kidney failure[2]....

Publication - DCSS - Article on Metabolic Profiles of different ethnic groups

This article published in American Diabetes Association Diabetes Care has the title "Metabolic Profiles of Māori, Pacific, and European New Zealanders With Type 2 Diabetes Over 25 Years".    PDF of the paper can be downloaded from the link.https://diabetesjournals.org/care/article/44/10/e183/138550/Metabolic-Profiles-of-Maori-Pacific-and-European...

Annual Activity Report - April 2020-March 2021

Please find a link to our Annual Activity report for the April 2020 to March 2021 year.   This report covers much of the time spent under lockdown conditions as a result of Covid-19, particularly in the Auckland area.   Financial information is in a separate document, or available online on the Charities Commission website....

In the News:

The article title "Pharmac's decision over diabetes drugs could see up to 140,000 'miss out', doctor says".  Diabetes Foundation Aotearoa Board Chair and South Auckland endocrinologist, Dr John Baker talks to Steve Forbes of the Herald.  He asks where the  ethics lie as a specialist of deciding who gets the new medications, which can make a major difference to the health of people with type 2 diabetes...and who doesn't. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/pharmacs-decision-over-dia...

Our thanks to Rinki Murphy, Honorary Medical director 2019-2021

The time has gone by in a flash since Associate Professor Rinki Murphy agreed to accept the 2-year position of Honorary Medical Director for the Foundation back in 2019.  Rinki brought her skills is an endocrinologist working both with adolescent patients for Counties Manukau Health,  and adult patients for Greenlane/Auckland.  With some of her time spent at University of Auckland, and being an avid researcher, Rinki's passion about achieving improvements in outcomes made her...

Impact of Covid-19 restrictions and lockdown on community Health Promotion

Karen and Kate took a presentation at the recent NZSSD Conference describing a community perspective regarding the impact of Covid-19 on the ability to carry out routine health promotion activities.The presentation discussed how the 'normal' situation where health promotion and working face-to-face with people has gone together, was severely impacted by Covid-19 restrictions.  Lockdown and inability to access venues and groups and community members meant reduced or no capacity to carry out ...

In the News:

Graham King (Ngāti Tai), Diabetes Foundation Aotearoa Board member, has lived with diabetes since being diagnosed in 1990.   In this Stephen Forbes (Local Democracy Reporter for RNZ) article he advocates here in the interests of Maori, noting that "many people in Māoridom were reluctant to seek medical help because of negative experiences they, or their whānau, had experienced with the health system - and a lot of them just can't afford it".https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/441011...

It's Strategic planning Day 2021! Meet our amazing Board members

At last, a strategy meeting, kanohi ki te kanohi, after months and months of online 'pivots' and restarts to the planning process thanks to Covid-19 restrictions.Any organisation has to plan ahead and be ready to change and adapt. In our area of diabetes in the community this has never been more important than it is now. We need to respond to the changes in the environment, increased pressures on the people we work with at community level, manage recovery from the widespread impacts of the ...

Welcome to New Board members

We are delighted to welcome three new Board members.  There is more detailed information here but below is a brief introduction to Graham, Henry and Fale.Graham King (Ngāti Tai) - Works for the police and has had a number of roles with them over the years.   Graham is married with two adult children and have 5 mokopuna.  He has type 2 diabetes, has been a participant in medication trials and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Board (started 2020).Henry K...

In the News:

RNZ article by Stephen Forbes, Local Democracy Reporter.   Diabetes Foundation Aotearoa Board Chair, Dr John Baker advocating for new medications beneficial to people with type 2 diabetes, including the potential to "reduce a patient's progression to end stage kidney disease by 15 years".Dr Baker is a long term advocate for improved access to new medications and points out some issues due to the current model of funding, pointing out that accountability is unclear.  "There is no m...

Publication - Article on Ethnic Inequity in the face of need

An article in the NZMJ (New Zealand Medical Journal) in response to comments made regarding analysis of DCSS data in a paper published in Lancet Global Health on 15 October 2020.  Authors Rawiri McKree Jansen, Gerhard Sundborn, Rick Cutfield, Dahai Yu and David Simmons have some important points to make about health outcome inequity, and how disparities can have been left for so many years.  It notes that for those with clear additional need "obstructing access is inequitable and ...

In the News:

Excellent RNZ article by Stephen Forbes describing the call from Dr John Baker, endocrinologist and Chair of Diabetes Foundation Aotearoa, for transparency around submissions regarding funding of vital medications for diabetes.  Dr Baker has tirelessly advocated for modern drugs, such as Empagliflozin and Dulaglutide.  If made appropriately accessible, these newer medications commonly used elsewhere in the world, could help improve the health of 1000's of New Zealanders with diabetes,...

Albert-Eden Local Board shows they are truly behind community gardening

Community gardening has so many benefits, both for health, the community itself, and the environment.   It's great that the Albert-Eden Local Board are providing funding for Gardens4Health to deliver practical support to the community gardeners, and also encouraging participation.   In this news article we have our Gardens4Health faciliator Hari in a community garden.   Also see the excellent quote about the value of participation from the Local Board Chair Mar...

In the News:

Regarding the Pharmac decision to delay diabetes medication (Empagliflozin and Dulaglutide) funding,  Dr Baker, Board Chair of Diabetes Foundation Aotearoa was giving Pharmac the "benefit of the doubt" in that they may be responding to recent research and feedback from clinicians that the proposed model wouldn't have worked to get maximum benefit.  Dr Baker however reiterates that New Zealand does need to have better than the current "third world" treatments available....

In the News

The heading is 'Monumental change urged to battle South Auckland diabetes epidemic.  As raised in the Diabetes Foundation Aotearoa summit, urgent action is needed. Well known South Auckland diabetes specialist Dr Brandon Orr-Walker was interviewed in this Stephen Forbes article for Stuff.   He comments on obesity as being the driving force behind diabetes, and how  using a similar approach to what has successfully been used with smoking would be helpful.  He notes that "...

In the News:

Professor David Simmons talks about new research just published from the DCSS data gathered Auckland over a 20 year period from Primary care.  See here for more information on the data source and here for the journal article. “It’s very clear from the data that leaving things as they are isn’t going to work.”  "Pharmac needs to fund medicines such as Empagliflozin and Dulaglutide to help treat people with diabetes".  “We can’t have people at the bottom of the clif...

Publication - DCSS - Ethnic differences in mortality and hospital admission

Successful publication of a paper using the DCSS data by Professor Simmons and Team.  The Lancet Global Health. Volume 9, Issue 2, E209-E217, February 2021. The interpretation summary from the article is "Compared with European patients, poorer health outcomes have persisted among Māori and Pacific people with type 2 diabetes for more than 20 years. New policies supporting prevention and more intensive management of type 2 diabetes are urgently needed. Research into the biological and...

In the News:

This October article from Stephen Forbes, Local Democracy reporter, is an excellent follow-on from our August 2020 Summit.   The author quotes our Board Chair, Dr John Baker as saying New Zealand is currently "using drugs described as Third World treatments in the battle against type two diabetes".  Dr Bakers position is that "more modern drugs, such as Empagliflozin and Dulaglutide are needed". ...

In the News:

"New type 2 diabetes drugs could stop kidney failure and save lives but not yet within reach for many" headlines this Bridie Witton article which was published in Stuff.  The article describes how big a difference the new diabetes medications can potentially make, and how they are shown to prevent complications and make life better for people with diabetes.   Diabetes Foundation Aotearoa Board member, Graham King, describes his own experience and highlights how access to what...

In the News:

"Election 2020: Māori Party's John Tamihere says diabetes drugs would be funded if Pākehā were suffering" is the headline for this article by Nicholas Jones in NZ Herald. John Tamihere made his comments at the Diabetes Foundation Aotearoa Diabetes Summit where Professor David Simmons, who has been analysing south Auckland diabetes data from the DCSS Audit, said not having access to modern diabetes drugs was a "national scandal".  https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/election-2020-maori-par...

Diabetes Summit 2020 - Turning Diabetes data into better health

In August 2020 we held our second annual Diabetes Summit.  Due to Covid lockdown conditions this is in full webinar format.  Go here to read details of agenda and speakers and watch the video.Many thanks to those who stepped up to make this event happen and all those who tuned in and participated in spite of the challenging circumstances!Welcome - 6pmHostsDr John Baker (Diabetes Foundation Aotearoa) andDr Matire Harwood (Papakura Marae)Webinar AgendaMore insights from the past, ev...

Annual Activity Report - 2019-2020

Please click on the link below for the 2019 to 2020 Annual Activity Report.   This report covers part of the time when Covid-19 was starting to really make an impact on the activities of New Zealanders and the rest of the world.   For financial information please see separate document or visit the Charities Commission website...