The Department of Health has awarded the University of Warwick a Pathfinder grant to support the growth of a project to tackle health inequalities in the South Asian population in Leamington Spa.

The Apnee Sehat diabetes clinic, in the Gurdawara Sikh Temple, Queensway, diagnoses and treats the condition in a community setting.

The clinic has been established through a partnership between Warwick Medical School, South Warwickshire PCT and Dr Shirine Boardman from Warwick Hospital:

• Practice nurses will be employed to run the clinic once or twice a week
• Medical students from Warwick will have the opportunity to work at the clinic testing blood sugars and checking blood pressures
• Researchers from Warwick Medical School will also be monitoring the project to see what effect it has on diagnoses and treatment for patients

It is hoped the Pathfinder money will enable Apnee Sehat to begin rolling out to other sites in the UK.

Warwick Medical School’s Professor of Medicine, Sudhesh Kumar has been involved in developing the project. He said: “Warwick Medical School is delighted to have been able to help support this new initiative. We hope our research will identify significant improvements in health care for the South Asian population. Pathfinder status will allow Apnee Sehat to consider replicating its work across the UK and improve the lives of South-Asian patients with diabetes.”