A DIABETES campaigner met with MP Virendra Sharma to demand improvements to care for people with the condition.

Rajmohan Thampi, who lives in Ealing, travelled to Westminster on Tuesday to meet Mr Sharma, who is MP for Ealing and Southall, as part of a lobbying event organised by Diabetes UK.

Mr Sharma was asked to make the case to local NHS leaders to make diabetes a higher priority, following the publication of the charity’s State of the Nation report, which discovered poor levels of care for the condition across the country.

Almost half of adults with diabetes in Ealing have high blood glucose levels, putting them at greater risk of developing complications including heart disease, kidney failure, amputation, blindness and stroke.

Mr Thampi said: “I was delighted to meet Virendra Sharma as it gave me the chance to raise my concerns about poor diabetes healthcare in Ealing and across the country.

“Diabetes is one of the biggest health challenges we face in the UK but too many people with diabetes here in London and across the country are not getting the basic checks and services they need to manage their condition.

“I made the case to Mr Sharma that local NHS managers need to give diabetes a higher priority if we are to improve care in London. I also asked him to write to Paul Burstow MP, Minister for Care Services, to ask the Government for a national implementation plan to deliver improved diabetes healthcare services.

“The fact that he has met with us is a positive sign but we now need him to take action and I hope to continue working with him on this issue.

“As the NHS goes through many challenges and changes it is essential that the voices of people with diabetes are heard.”

People in Ealing can find out how they can help the campaign for better diabetes healthcare at www.diabetes.org.uk