May 1, 2009
MP UPDATES YOUNG DIABETES SUFFERER ON MOVES IN PARLIAMENT TO HELP CHILDREN WITH CONDITION
John Healey MP today met up with young diabetes sufferer Emma Smith to let her know of moves in Parliament to help people like her cope with their condition in school.
12-year-old Emma, of Foljambe Drive, Dalton wrote to her MP last year and met him in London in November when they attended a Diabetes UK lobby of Parliament. Emma told Mr Healey about the difficulties she was experiencing in coping with her condition in school.
He has since taken the issue up with government ministers, Andy Buck, chief executive of Rotherham PCT and Joyce Thacker, director of children and young people’s services at Rotherham Council.
Mr Healey met St Bernard’s School pupil Emma and her family again today to let them know of his support for a Private Members’ Bill, introduced by Jim Cunningham, Labour MP for Coventry South, after he too met children with diabetes from his constituency at the lobby in London.
The bill would set standards for the support schools should give children with health conditions like diabetes, which would be monitored by Ofsted. It is due to be discussed in Parliament on May 8.
Mr Healey has let Mr Cunningham and the government minister responsible, Baroness Morgan, know of his support.
He said: “This is something I feel strongly about, and I wanted Emma and her family – and other children like her – know that I will be supporting the proposals in this bill so that children with diabetes can fully enjoy school, confident that people around them know what the condition is and that teachers and friends can help if they are needed.”
Emma said: “It would make me a lot happier if, if I couldn’t for any reason treat myself, people at school knew what to do.”