The Friends of the Manx Diabetic have presented a donation of ?3,000 to St John Ambulance which has enabled the purchase of blood glucose monitors and a year’s supply of test strips and calibration samples for the Island’s Community First Responders and St John Ambulance crews.

Diabetes is a condition affecting all age groups. There is no cure for diabetes and the complications of diabetes have to be recognised and monitored as soon as possible so that no permanent damage occurs to the diabetic patient. The Friends of the Manx Diabetic was established to raise funds for the purchase of equipment for diabetes carers, trying to prevent complications to the Manx diabetic patient. All monies, from whatever sources received by the group are exclusively spent on the Isle of Man, in the furtherance of the well-being of the Manx diabetic and to facilitate the work of their medical carers, unless specifically otherwise requested by the donor in writing.

The Community First Responder Scheme recently celebrated its tenth anniversary since the initial scheme was set up to cover Peel and the West of the Island and they have approximately 50 volunteers who are recruited and trained in first aid by St John Ambulance and are despatched by the Emergency Services’ Joint Control Room to tend to those who have fallen ill and are awaiting an ambulance. They employ techniques such as CPR and defibrillation in the case of cardiac arrest, give oxygen to those with breathing difficulties, offer reassurance to patients and gather information, saving paramedics’ valuable time when they arrive at the scene. Their volunteers come from all walks of life and provide a vital service in outlying areas where they live. They use their own vehicles and book on and off duty, so they can give up as much or as little time as they can spare. All the equipment they use is provided and the donation from the Friends of the Manx Diabetic has enabled them to routinely monitor the blood glucose level of patients who might be suffering from a diabetic emergency.

St John Ambulance now operates Community First Responder schemes across the Island, and St John Ambulances staffed by their volunteers are a familiar sight at the myriad of sporting and social events that take place throughout the year. The blood glucose monitors will allow specially trained members to rapidly assess the blood glucose level of patients and casualties, and enable the appropriate treatment to be given.

The Isle of Man is leading the way in training its volunteers to undertake these tests, thanks to a recently agreed protocol with the Isle of Man Ambulance Service – the monitors are identical to those on front line NHS ambulances and training in their use has been delivered under the guidance and assessment of IOM Ambulance Service.

Photo - Gerry Jones demonstrates the use of the new blood glucose monitoring equipment by taking a sample of blood from Jeremy Ludford-Brookes.