Diabetes
Recent statistics indicate that 2.8 million
people in the UK have diabetes, while an estimated half a million
additional people have the condition but are unaware that they have
it. The number of people with diabetes in the UK is expected
to rise to more than 4 million by 2025. Currently, the condition
costs the NHS around £9 billion a year.
Legal background
Education for employees
Education for employers
Getting more help
Diabetes is a chronic condition whereby the body is not able to
regulate its glucose levels due to abnormal metabolism. There are
two main types of diabetes.
Type 1 is the less common of the
two. In this condition, the body is not able to make
insulin on its own to manage blood glucose levels. It usually
affects children and young adults.
Type 2 is much more common and mainly affects
adults. In this condition, the body doesn't produce
enough insulin to manage blood glucose levels and/or the cells in
the body can’t use it correctly. Although not fully understood,
certain factors increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. These
include; age, weight, body fat distribution, lack of physical
activity, family history and ethnicity.
It's been estimated that just under 5 per cent of the
current UK workforce of 29 million people have diabetes. It's a
very common lifelong health condition that doesn’t hinder people’s
ability to get a job or to keep one. People with
diabetes should be assessed on their individual ability to do
a job and not be discriminated against simply because they have the
condition. Nevertheless, some key areas of
employment have restrictions on people with
insulin-dependent diabetes. These include:
- driving long goods vehicles or those carrying passengers, i.e.
jobs where people need to have a Group 2 licence
- the armed forces
- jobs in the aviation industry, such as airline pilots and, in
some cases, cabin crew and air traffic control personnel
- working offshore, for example on oil rigs and ships.
There can also be restrictions in other jobs, for
example the emergency services, the railway industry and
public carriage services. The level of restriction
varies across the UK and mainly lies with the individual local
councils.
Legal background
The Health and
Safety at Work etc Act 1974 requires employers to secure the
health, safety and welfare of employees at work. This includes
providing a safe place of work, safe systems of work, information
and training.
The
Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (as
amended) require suitable and sufficient assessments of health
and safety risks at work to be carried out.
The
Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 require
employers to provide adequate welfare for their employees.
The Equality Act
2010 imposes a duty on employers to make reasonable adjustments
and provide legal defence against discrimination on the grounds of
disability, including disability relating to diabetes.
The law places duties on the employer to assess risks posed to
their workers and, where necessary, to take action to safeguard
health and safety, including health surveillance, if appropriate.
This could be achieved by carrying out a comprehensive
risk
assessment.
Education for employees
Leaflets and information
• Diabetes:
What is it? - an introductory factsheet from the National
Diabetic Educational Program (USA)
• Employment
and diabetes - your rights at work - a comprehensive guide from
Diabetes UK
• Some
common myths exposed – an information sheet from the National
Diabetic Education Program (USA)
• Self-care
guide for people with diabetes - from the Health Service
Executive (Republic of Ireland)
• Small
changes, big difference - advice for employees on working with
a long-term medical condition from NHS Choices
• Health and safety
for disabled workers and people who work with them from the
HSE
• Work and driving
with diabetes – a brief guide on how to manage the condition
from Hypoguard
Web links
• Diabetes
– the facts from NHS Choices
• Symptoms
of diabetes from the BBC
• Diabetes UK
webpage, explaining the causes of, and risk factors associated
with, diabetes
• Diabetes
and looking after yourself from the BBC
• Ask
your questions from Diabetes Action
• Diabetes
risk score assessment tool from Diabetes UK
• Diabetes UK: in your
area – information on Diabetes UK activities in your local
area
• Stories
about people with diabetes from different walks of life, published
by Diabetes UK
• Diabetes self
assessment tool from the NHS
• Diabetes,
foot care and foot ulcers from Patient UK
• Diabetes
and driving – information sheet from Suffolk Hospitals Diabetes
Service
• Health
and wellbeing self-check tool – from Investors in People
Education for employers
Leaflets and information
• Diabetes
in the workplace – an employer’s guide from the Ambulance
Service Association and NHS Employers
• HSE’s Good health is good business:
employers’ guide
• Supervisor’s
guide to diabetes – a factsheet from the National
Diabetes Education Program (USA)
• HSE's
A practical guide to employment adjustments for people with
diabetes from Employers’ Forum on Disability
• Small
changes, big difference - advice for line managers on
supporting employees with long-term medical conditions from NHS
Choices
• Change4Life
employer’s guide from the NHS
• Facilitating
the Management of Diabetes at Work – a guidance document from
the Institute of Work, Health and Organisations (University of
Nottingham).
Web links
• Diabetes
in the workplace – an information sheet from the National Union
of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers
• How
much is diabetes costing your company? – an assessment tool
from DiabetesatWork.Org
• Managing sickness absence
and return to work from the HSE
• Statement of fitness for work -
fit note from Department for Work and Pension
• Managing
attendance and employee turnover - booklet from ACAS
• Equality
Act guidance downloads from the Equality and Human Rights
Commission.
Getting more help
The organisations listed below offer help and advice;
• Diabetes
UK Advocacy Service provides advice and supports people
to take action by providing information on individual’s rights in
the workplace
• NHS Diabetes provides support to
the healthcare community and people with diabetes
• Diabetes UK funds research and
provides guidance and support for people with diabetes
• Diabetes Monitor is a
resource that helps patients educate themselves about their role as
active participants in care of their condition
• National Institute for Health and
Clinical Excellence provides patients, health professionals and
the general public with guidance on current best practice
• NHS Choices provides
confidential healthcare advice and information, including on
diabetes.
• European Association for the Study of
Diabetes supports research into diabetes and promotes knowledge
and awareness
• Health for Work Adviceline
helps small businesses to address the issues relating to employees’
ill health
• Health and Safety Executive provides
access to workplace health and safety information, guidance and
expert advice.
Back to the top
Non work-related conditions