Dr David Simmons, lead diabetes consultant: “At any one time, up to 15 per cent of inpatients at Addenbrooke's and the Rosie have diabetes. Failure to treat and care appropriately for patients with diabetes is not only detrimental to the patient's health, it can also result in longer hospital stays, more pressure on ward staff, and emotional distress for the patient and their loved ones.”
Ali Jeffs, previously a staff nurse on ward F6, is one of the diabetes specialist nurses. She said: "The combination of specialist support and e-learning means safer, more effective treatment, care and discharge. It's better for patients and it's better for staff – as knowledge and understanding of the disease improves, staff can help patients manage their condition, freeing up our team to handle the more complex cases."
The diabetes service at Addenbrooke’s, part of Cambridge University Hospitals, is one of the leading centres in the country for type 1 diabetes. This includes insulin pump therapy and type 1 diabetes structured education. Addenbrooke’s is now a major regional centre for diabetes in pregnancy and diabetes foot management.
Dr David Simmons added: “If you come to Addenbrooke’s with diabetes you will have more support than ever to help you manage your condition. We’ve also been supporting patients with Type 1 diabetes in the community, although people will need a referral from their GP to access this service.”
The adult diabetes service has also developed an innovative e-learning diabetes package – Cambridge Diabetes Education Programme - CDEP (www.CDEP.org.uk) that enables staff to demonstrate knowledge and discover any gaps in their understanding of the disease. It is free to healthcare professionals in the county and there is a small charge - £25 – for users outside Cambridgeshire and this allows access for a two-year period. It has now received additional Health Innovation and Education Cluster (HIEC) funding and already has been used by hundreds of NHS staff across the UK.
Candice Ward, lead diabetes dietitian, says: "Certain roles need certain levels of understanding, but everyone can benefit from doing this. For example, a porter should be able to recognise if a patient becomes hypoglycaemic."
Staff from the adult diabetes service will be on hand at the Addenbrookes Treatment Centre (ATC) on Monday and Wednesday this week to answer any questions about diabetes from staff, patients or visitors.
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Adrian Ient| Media Relations Manager
Tel: 01223 274433 | Ext: 4433 | 07703 887759.
http://www.cuh.org.uk
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New diabetes outreach team supports staff at Addenbrooke’s
10 June 2014
A new diabetes outreach team is supporting staff on wards to care for patients who have diabetes who have been admitted to the hospital.