This seems like good news for diabetics living on the Isle of Wight. This in from the IW NHS. Ed
Care home residents on the Island who have diabetes are in an area where they are less likely to be admitted to hospital because of their diabetes according to a recent survey carried out by Diabetes UK.
The national survey has been undertaken to determine the quality of diabetes care that is provided in the NHS and private run care homes across the UK. The report looks at whether care home staff receive training about the condition, if residents are screened for diabetes on admission and annually and if care home providers follow good practice guidelines.
Good Clinical Practice Guidelines
Diabetes UK is calling for care homes to implement the recommendations in its guidance document Good Clinical Practice Guidelines for Care Home Residents with Diabetes.
This includes screening new residents for diabetes on admission and all residents at two yearly intervals; for all people with diabetes in care homes to have an individualised care plan tailored to their needs; and for all care home managers to put in place appropriate diabetes-specific training for all staff.
Dr. Ma’en Al-Mrayat, Consultant in Diabetes & Endocrinology at St. Mary’s Hospital said: “We welcome this report highlighting an important aspect of the diabetes care pathway, namely, looking after residents with diabetes in nursing and residential home settings. The report highlights significant variations in the level of care provided across the country. Reassuringly, our Island diabetes care is demonstrated favourably compared to the rest of the UK, with fewer hospital admission episodes for such individuals resulting from their diabetes or its complications. Such positive outcomes are the products of close collaboration between residential homes, primary care clinicians and the specialist diabetes team, in managing the diabetes needs of individual residents and updating skills of those staff caring for them.”
Island Diabetes Centre
The Diabetes Centre at St. Mary’s Hospital is the Island’s specialist resource centre for people with diabetes, their carers and healthcare professionals.
Staff at the centre see those patients whose needs are more complex such as care during pregnancy or who use insulin pumps. The team provides educational updates for anyone working in diabetes as well as the patients themselves. The centre was opened in 1991 and provides care and advice for patients both as an outpatient and inpatient setting.
The Diabetes Specialist Team based at St. Mary’s Hospital deliver regular education sessions for care home staff focusing on updating skills and knowledge in diabetes.
What’s on offer
There are at least three educational updates delivered each year with others delivered as requested.
Every two years the Diabetes Team hold a residential and nursing home conference for care home staff which focuses on managing diabetes in these settings. The next conference will be in May 2011. In addition the Diabetes Team also offer care homes a telephone advice service, in relation to diabetes.
Care spread further
It’s not just the Diabetes Team who are involved in diabetes care, the biochemistry department at St. Mary’s Hospital also work closely with local care homes to train staff in blood glucose monitoring and to ensure the quality assurance for this procedure is met.
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a serious condition in which the amount of glucose (sugar) in the blood is too high. If left untreated it can lead to life threatening complications. However, if diagnosed early, the risk of serious health problems can be reduced and diabetes can be controlled.
Who is at risk of Diabetes? If you are one or more of the following, you are at more risk of developing Diabetes:
- Does a close member of the family have type 2 diabetes (e.g. parent, brother or sister)?
- Are you overweight or your waist is 31.5 inches or over if you are a woman, or 37 inches if you are a man?
- Do you have high blood pressure or have you had a stroke?
- Are you a woman with polycystic ovary syndrome?
- Are you a woman and had gestational diabetes (or a baby over 9lbs at birth)?
- Have you been told you have an abnormal blood glucose level in the past?
Some people from other ethnic backgrounds e.g. Asian or African Caribbean origin can be at a higher risk of developing diabetes.
Learn more about Diabetes
Education sessions for people with Type 2 Diabetes are run by the Diabetes Specialist Team at St Mary’s Hospital. X-PERT is a 6-week course which is held at Cowes, Newport, Ryde and Sandown and covers subjects such as what diabetes is, healthy eating and living with diabetes. An education course for people with Type 1 Diabetes run by the Diabetes Specialist Team at St Mary’s Hospital is also now available.
Image: Jill A Brown under CC BY 2.0
