Chronic Disease in the Workplace
Diabetes and other diet-related diseases are growing workplace issues
These conditions have serious health and cost consequences, potentially affecting the productivity and profitability of companies that fail to address the impact of diabetes, or the threat of diabetes, in the workplace.
Have you calculated the potential costs to your business of employing someone with diabetes? Reduced productivity as a result of ‘presenteeism’ – arising from a lack of concentration or motivation or depression inherently associated with diabetes? Reduced productivity as a result of days lost to sickness absence? What’s the bottom line in terms of your profitability?
In 2014 the CBI produced a comprehensive report highlighting the need for UK based businesses to embrace health as a workplace issue. The Rebalance Foundation shares all the concerns raised in that report and are here to promote the productivity and profitability of your company by playing our part in reducing the burden of diet-related chronic disease on the UK economy.
In our opinion diabetes and obesity are the most immediate concerns, having the greatest impact in economical terms today. In 2014 statistics from the International Diabetes Federation showed that every 8 seconds someone died from diabetes . This year we're sad to say that someone dies from diabetes every 6 seconds.
If we ever needed proof that things are getting worse, this is it!
In the UK, latest reports show:
- 1 in every 16 people has diabetes (that’s 1/16 of your workforce?)
- a further 590,000 are estimated to be living with diabetes undiagnosed
- there are 3.9 million people living with diabetes diagnosed
- this gives a prevalence of 6.2% in adults
- by 2025, it is estimated 5 million people will have diabetes
- 4.75 million people are currently at high risk of getting Type 2 diabetes
- 11.5 million people are currently at increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes (1 in 4 adults)
- around 700 people a day are diagnosed with diabetes (the equivalent of one person every two minutes)
- since 1996, the number of people with diabetes in the UK has more than doubled
Good diabetes management has been shown to reduce the risk of complications. When diabetes is not well managed, it is associated with serious complications including heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney disease and amputations leading to disability and premature mortality. People with diabetes are twice as likely to develop depression.
It is currently estimated that about £10 bn is spent by the NHS on diabetes, i.e. 10% of the NHS budget is spent on diabetes. This equates to:
- £192 million a week
- £27 million a day
- over £1 million an hour
- £19,000 a minute
- £315 a second
The total cost associated with diabetes in the UK currently stands at £23.7 billion and is predicted to rise to £39.8 billion by 2035/6.
One in seven hospital beds is occupied by someone who has diabetes. In some hospitals it is as many as 30%. People with diabetes are twice as likely to be admitted to hospital.
Can your business afford to ignore diabetes as a workplace issue?
