ExPAND toolkit

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The European Policy Action Network on Diabetes (ExPAND) is delighted to launch the new Diabetes Policy Toolkit - a practical guide to help diabetes champions challenge national governments to raise the profile of diabetes. It is the first ever comprehensive diabetes resource aimed specifically at helping national Members of Parliament raise diabetes as a policy priority, and comes a critical window of opportunity for the future sustainability of our healthcare systems.

 

Diabetes is a major issue for all national governments across Europe – it kills more people than breast and prostate cancers put together. Today 56 million people across Europe have diabetes and this figure is expected to rise to 70 million by 2035. Diabetes account for €109 billion per year in healthcare costs alone in Europe, more than all cancers combined, yet it is often too far down the policy agenda. 

 

The ExPAND toolkit provides a one stop resource for the evidence of what works and what doesn’t, best practice from across Europe and practical steps for leading and developing new diabetes policies fit for purpose.  It gives politicians, policy-makers, professionals and patient groups a powerful economic case and evidence-based arguments for investing in comprehensive approaches to diabetes care, including prevention, self-management, innovation and person-centred care. There are also dedicated chapters to care and treatment of children and older people. Each topic provides information in a flexible format to help meet the different needs of different target audiences.

 

The ExPAND network includes parliamentarians, patient advocates and other leading opinion formers from across Europe. The network is chaired by Adrian Sanders MP, a British Member of Parliament.  Members include Teresa Caeiro MP (Portugal), Czeslaw Czechyra MP (Poland), Martin Gregora MP (Czech Republic) and Georgios Papanikoalou MEP (Greece).  There is also representation from leading clinicians and diabetes associations from across the continent including Spain, Italy and Romania, and IDF Europe, an umbrella organisation representing 70 patient organisations in 47 countries across Europe.

 

Over the coming weeks, ExPAND members will be writing to Members of Parliament across Europe, asking them to join the network and lead the campaign for improved diabetes policy to help stem the rising tide of diabetes and to work with policy makers, professionals and patients to develop and implement sustainable policies for the benefit of people with diabetes in Europe. 

 

For more information, or if you would like to write to your MP asking them to join ExPAND, please contact expand@shwhealth.co.uk .

 

The ExPAND Policy Toolkit for Diabetes is the result of discussions between the ExPAND members that occurred over the course of 2012-2013. The development of this Toolkit was overseen by SHW Health Ltd., acting as secretariat for ExPAND. The contents of the Toolkit are fully endorsed by, and are the ownership of, the members of the network. Acknowledgements to Bristol-Myers Squibb, AstraZeneca and Roche Diagnostics for providing support to facilitate the regular meetings of the ExPAND network and for funding the development of this Toolkit.