Families invited to have their children screened for type 1 diabetes

A series of clinics in east Kent is taking place for families who would like their children screened for type 1 diabetes.

The clinics will be held in Ashford, Ramsgate, Dover, Deal and Herne Bay and have been organised by the Research Team at Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust (KCHFT), a recruiting site for the national ELSA research study.

The study is being led by the University of Birmingham, to screen children aged three-to-13, to find out their risk of developing type 1 diabetes in the future. The screening involves a simple finger stick blood test, which can be done at home or at a KCHFT clinic. Clinic visits will take no longer than 15 minutes.

KCHFT Clinical Research Practitioner Charlotte Marlow said: "Three-in-1,000 children are at high risk of developing type 1 diabetes in the future. The only way we can find these children is through screening. Screening allows us to pick up type 1 diabetes sooner, before children become poorly. Every family who takes part is helping to build a greater understanding of the disease."

Drop-in clinics, where families can just turn up, will be held:

• 9am to 2pm, Wednesday, 24 July, One You Shop, Park Mall Shopping Centre, Ashford
• 9am to 3pm, Thursday, 25 July and Thursday, 23 August, Discovery Planet, 47 High Street, Ramsgate
• 9am to 4pm, Wednesday, 31 July, Dover Health Centre, Maison Dieu Road
• 9am to 4pm, Monday, 5 August, Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital, Herne Bay
• 9am to 4pm, Monday, 12 August, Deal Community Clinic, 9 Bowling Green Lane.

The ELSA study is open to families living in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

To find out more, contact the Research Team at KCHFT by emailing kchft.research@nhs.net or phoning 0300 0132078, or visit the ELSA website.