INTERVIEW
Tackling an
epidemic
Jackie McCarrick talks
to a popular Island GP
who is at the forefront
of a campaign to raise
awareness of diabetes
and high blood pressure.
W
hen Dr Alan Hayes joined the
South Wight Medical Practice
in Godshill, back in 1984, there
were just over 100 patients registered as
suffering from Type 2 Diabetes.
Today that figure stands at 350 - which
is why the doctor is hardly exaggerating
when he describes the condition as an
“epidemic”.
It’s an epidemic that isn’t limited to the
Island – figures have gone up alarmingly
throughout the western world, and
worryingly, the condition is affecting more
and more younger people every year.
But it’s the Island that Dr Hayes –
the Clinical Commissioning Group’s
Lead Director for Strokes – is currently
focusing on.
In 2013-14, a shocking total of 1,489
Isle of Wight people suffered a stroke or
TIA (“mini stroke”) and of those, 386 were
hospitalised for at least one night.
The predicted rate for the Isle of Wight,
based on national figures, would be
only 185 – which means that the actual
hospitalisation rates are running at more
than double what they should be.
Meanwhile, figures show that 28%
of Island patients have blood pressure
above target levels, and 31% have high
cholesterol.
Having spent a number of years
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