Peter Baldwin: Type 1 diabetes awareness pledge after boy's death

The Baldwin family have campaigned for change in Peter's memory

A pledge has been made to raise awareness of the symptoms of type 1 diabetes among doctors following the death of a teenager from the condition.

Peter Baldwin, from Cardiff, died aged 13 in 2015 after his GP failed to diagnose the illness.

His family has campaigned for better awareness of early symptoms and a Welsh assembly committee backed their calls in a report.

Health Secretary Vaughan Gething said he accepts the recommendations made.

Peter's mother, Beth Baldwin, said it was a "huge relief" that change would be happening, adding: "It's a massive step forward."

"When you have a baby you take on board things like meningitis - but we want to create awareness that young children can also have type 1 diabetes. It's something that isn't brought on because they've eaten too many sweets - it's not their fault," she said.

"We want to know that doctors, midwives and anybody else who comes across young children will know to ask the right questions and that the right equipment for testing will be available in all GP surgeries."

Peter was taken to his GP after becoming ill over Christmas 2014 - he was diagnosed with a chest infection, given antibiotics and sent home without further examination.

However, he had undiagnosed type 1 diabetes - where the pancreas does not produce any insulin - but this was only picked up after his mother Beth rang 999.

He was admitted to hospital but died six days later.

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Since then Mrs Baldwin has been campaigning for questions about the "4 Ts" symptoms - Toilet, Thirsty, Tired and Thinner - to be routinely asked when unwell children and young people see a GP or other health professional.

She also wanted appropriate diagnostic testing, for example through the use of a finger prick blood glucose test, to be carried out immediately when symptoms which could be indicative of type 1 diabetes are present.

Her campaign was backed by the assembly's petitions committee in July, which put forward a number of recommendations for the Welsh Government to consider.

Mr Gething accepted them all, including:

• Ensuring that GPs and health professionals are aware of the "4 Ts" questions

• That appropriate blood glucose testing equipment is available in all GP surgeries and that doctors have access to them

• A new referral pathway be put in place to ensure that if a GP sees symptoms in a child, they are referred to hospital as quickly as possible

• That an e-learning for type 1 diabetes is rolled out to GPs

He said he was grateful to the Baldwin family, who have worked with the charity Diabetes UK Cymru, "to improve awareness of type 1 diabetes among the public and healthcare professionals in Wales".

He added: "I'm pleased to be able to accept or accept in principle all the recommendations made as they are very much in line with work already underway or complete."

Peter had gone to the doctor but was diagnosed with just a chest infection

Dai Williams, director of Diabetes UK Cymru, said he was "thrilled" that work was underway to improve the diagnosis of the potentially fatal condition.

He said GPs, on average, would only diagnose type 1 diabetes once during their career - in comparison to the more common type 2 diabetes - which is usually brought on because of a person's lifestyle.

"It's quite rare for a GP to diagnose so there is the chance of a doctor making a mistake - and that can be the difference between life and death, as we know all too well with what happened to Peter," he said.

"Peter left a fantastic legacy because we're all pulling together to stop it happening to others."