Dhesi MBE is a special diabetes X-pert

Features: Dhesi MBE is a special diabetes X-pert
Dhesi relaxing at his home in Belvedere

Oxleas service user Gurcharan Singh Dhesi - known to all as Dhesi - is a prime example of a patient working closely with staff, so much so he has become an X-pert.

Bexley Community Health Services’ five-year-old X-pert project encourages those that have diabetes to help educate others to cope with the condition. Dhesi, who lives in Belvedere, is a lay trainer who supports a qualified clinician. He helps run courses that last for five weeks, soon to be six. Two and a half hours are spent each week by people on the courses, aimed at patients with type two diabetes.

Patients throughout Bexley can refer themselves or be referred by a GP to get a place on the course. The course includes guidance on what food to eat, a virtual supermarket tour concentrating on healthy eating and healthy choices. And it touches on complications that can accompany diabetes such as eye, kidney, heart, feet problems and erectile dysfunction.

Dhesi, who took early retirement from car maker Ford, is also a Special with the Metropolitan Police, with the rank of Sergeant. Specials work alongside regular police officers on a voluntary basis.  He is the longest serving Asian Special in the Metropolitan Police Service, Dhesi received an MBE in this year’s Birthday Honours after 38 years of service. Dhesi, who is 62, joined the Met in 1973.

Dhesi, who has three grown up children and five grandchildren, also drives a vehicle for Bexley Accessible Transport Scheme or BATS. BATS is a community transport scheme, operating within the borough of Bexley. Founded in July 2004, its aim is to provide affordable, accessible and safe transport for community and voluntary groups in the local area. It also operates an individual membership scheme for people with disabilities or who have mobility problems.

A keen gardener, Dhesi has an allotment near his home, on which he grows his own vegetables. He said: “People with diabetes should exercise and the allotment is definitely good for me as well as the aerobic exercises I do at home.” Dhesi was diagnosed with diabetes back in 2000. He said: “Diabetes runs in my family but I have learned to live with it.

“If I can help somebody else have a better life through the X-pert scheme then that’s a good thing. During week one of the course we explain what diabetes is and what happens to food in your body when you consume it. In week two we examine good health and glucose control while in week three we look at carbohydrate awareness. Week four we highlight the best ways to understand labeling on food and during week five we go over the previous weeks’ subject matter and address any concerns raised by patients.”

Fellow member of the specials and Oxleas Quality and Audit Facilitator, Loretta Cox, said: “Dhesi always seems to be giving up his time doing voluntary roles in the local community. I know him through being a Met Special where he is one of our sergeants. He has been in the specials forever. He also assists with the police cadets - from supervising them at events such as the recent Royal Wedding to leading them to victory in the annual competitions held in Hendon (the Metropolitan Police training school). He is an all round lovely person who is admired and respected by my Met colleagues and really deserved the MBE.”