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Improving Diabetic Health and Well-Being in West Sussex
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www.diabetes.nhs.uk
Diabetes NSF Briefing
You can subscribe online to receive the Briefing directly into your mailbox at www.diabetes.nhs.uk
Briefings – your feedback requested
Please take a few minutes to complete the short questionnaire and let us know your feelings on these Briefings – what you like/what you’d like to see etc. http://www.diabetes.nhs.uk/downloads/briefing_evaluation.asp
Communication in Diabetes Care Workshops 2006
Communications in Diabetes Care is an innovative one-day workshop developed and delivered by some of the
Courses:
For more information contact Holly Small: holly@innervate.co.uk
Volunteers Wanted for Adult Support Weekends
Diabetes
Diabetes
Diabetes Skills and Service Development Workshops
Jill Rodgers and
More information can be found at: www.ibhuk.com
Confusion over push to halt rising child obesity
A study by public sector watchdogs National Audit Office, Healthcare Commission and Audit Commission has found that that the bid to halt rising child obesity by 2010 will fail unless the government shows more leadership. It states there is good work going on at a local level but that government departments needed to offer more guidance. The number of obese children has increased from 9.6% in 1995 to 13.7% in 2003. The overall cost of obesity to the NHS is currently around £1bn. Full article at news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4756370.stm
Dutch scientists have found more compelling evidence that cocoa is good for your heart. They found that elderly men who consumed cocoa had lower blood pressure levels, and were less likely to die from cardiovascular problems. They say cocoa contains ingredients which may keep the circulatory system healthy in different ways. Further details at: news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4755108.stm
Study finds explosion of Type 2 diabetes in the under 16s
Researchers at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health have found that soaring levels of obesity have sparked a crisis of "adult" diabetes in children. The number developing Type 2 diabetes - which normally affects overweight people in middle age - has risen 10-fold in the past five years. Full story available at: telegraph news article
Royal Society of Medicine Endocrinology and Diabetes Society
This section of the RSM has been relaunched with the intention of organising meetings across the spectrum of the speciality. It will also provide opportunities to share meetings with one or more of the 55 Sections of the RSM. There is no joining fee, a saving of up to £100, if people apply now. For more information contact: Samantha Tagg, Academic Department, Royal Society of Medicine,
MHRA Medical Device Alert on The Medical House mhi-500 Insulin Jet Needle Free Insulin Delivery System
Action required by all HCPs involved in the management of users of this device. For further info MHRA Medical Device Alert 
PDF (609KB)
“Supporting people with long term conditions to self care: A guide to developing local strategies and good practice”
This DH guide explains how health and social care services can support people with long term conditions to self care through an integrated package which includes information, self monitoring devices, self care skills education and training and self care support networks. Supporting people with LTCs to self care PDF (2.0MB)
Practice-Based Commissioning
The Department of Health has produced the clinically-focused document "Practice-based commissioning: early wins and top tips". It provides examples of how practice-based commissioning can be used to redesign patient pathways and improve services for patients: Practice based commissioning: early wins and top tips PDF (440KB)
Pig cells transplant may reverse diabetes
According to researchers at the
Draft competences for consultation
Recent draft competences around children with diabetes and transitional care are now available for consultation. They are available on the Skills for Health website at www.skillsforhealth.org.uk/development_documents.php?id=11
Stronger voice for patients
Health Minister Rosie Winterton has announced a further step towards creating a more comprehensive system for people to get involved in the NHS. Concluding the review of Patient and Public Involvement (PPI), the DH will establish an expert panel to consider the evidence collected so far on how the arrangements for ensuring a strong local voice in health and social care can be strengthened. Further details at: www.dh.gov.uk
Sacked for having diabetes
Elizabeth Morrison, 51 got sacked on the spot from her new job when bosses found out she had diabetes.
The website includes information about their cross-organisational improvement programme and updates on key work going on across the
NHS in
The Department of Health has released the "NHS in PDF (721KB)
All Shook up theatre production
The diabetes production "All Shook Up" by the Pyramid Theatre Company is about to go on a pilot tour of the country. Itinerary is now available: Timetable 
Word (100KB)
Blood glucose monitoring guidelines PDF (55KB)
New Courses Being Run by
New Issue of Diabetes Care
A new edition of Diabetes Care is available, packed with articles about the condition. For more information go to: http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/vol29/issue3/?etoc
New Additions to the NLH Diabetes Specialist Library
What steps they will take to improve the care of children with diabetes.
The Minister of State, Department of Health (Lord Warner): My Lords, national guidance for improving standards of care for children with diabetes was published in the Diabetes National Service Framework in 2001. That was supplemented by further standards published in the Children's National Service Framework in 2004. As a result of monitoring the implementation of those standards, the national clinical directors for diabetes and for children have established a working group to help improve the ability of the NHS to meet the standards.
Lord Harrison: My Lords, I thank my ! noble friend for that Answer. Nevertheless, does he recognise the important role played by specialist paediatric diabetic nurses, especially at a time when as many as four in five diabetic children fail to achieve proper monitoring of their blood sugar levels in their tests? Does he regret that only one in four PCTs is prioritising the appointment of such nurses in its local delivery plans? Can he also ensure that we have a full complement of school nurses and teachers trained in the treatment of diabetes, to avoid regrettable incidents such as that last week when a six year-old child was dismissed from school in Dorset?
Lord Warner: My Lords, it is for local diabetic teams to determine the appropriate composition to meet the needs of their communities, but we recommend multi-disciplinary paediatric diabetes teams, including specialist nurses, in the national service framework. I share the concerns expressed by my noble frien! d about the episode in Dorset. I think that the school has apo! logised, and in conjunction with the Department for Education and Skills we have produced guidance to help schools in this area.
Lord Addington: My Lords, is there a target for the number of designated consultant paediatricians who are specialists in diabetes, and how far have we come to meeting such a target?
Lord Warner: My Lords, I am not aware that there is such a target, but I will check and write to the noble Lord.
Baroness Masham of Ilton: My Lords, does the Minister agree that type 2 diabetes should be avoided at all costs? Should not schools offer health education to encourage children to take more exercise, eat less sugar and follow a healthy diet, so that they grow up without developing diabetes?
Lord Warner: My Lords, it would be difficult to disagree with the noble Baroness. Pu! blic health measures are in place to try to tackle the problem of obesity in children, which often leads to the development of type 2 diabetes. A good example is the WATCH IT! programme in Leeds, which tries to tackle some of the problems.
Lord Harrison: My Lords, will my noble friend congratulate the Austrian presidency on prioritising diabetes as a matter of concern, especially type 2 diabetes? Does he recognise that there are 20,000 children with type 1 diabetes and, at the moment, only 200 a year with type 2? Children with type 1 diabetes must not be forgotten.
Lord Warner: My Lords, my noble friend is right. We need to tackle issues around both type 1 and type 2 diabetes in children. We fully support the initiative taken by the Austrian presidency, which has made diabetes a key issue, and we are participating in the work that it is doing. Our national clinical director f! or diabetes is leading the work that we are doing with the Aus! trian pr esidency.
Lord Roberts of Conwy: My Lords, is the gun-type syringe available to all children who have to inject themselves daily and are capable of using it?
Lord Warner: My Lords, there are a variety of ways of providing support to children in this area, including inhalation pumps. I shall write to the noble Lord with more details of the processes.
The Earl of Listowel: My Lords, can the Minister confirm that only a quarter of primary care trusts have prioritised improvements in paediatric services in their local delivery plans? Is he satisfied with that?
Lord Warner: My Lords, I do not have the precise figures. We leave it to PCTs to assess the health needs of their local community and to determine their priorities in the light of that.
Earl Howe: My Lords, the specialist nature of managing childhood diabetes and childhood obesity often requires hospital attention, as opposed to going to the GP. Given that, will the White Paper mean that treatment facilities of this kind may be transferred closer to the patient's home, removing the need for children to attend hospital, which can often be a daunting experience?
Lord Warner: My Lords, the noble Earl is right: visiting hospital can be a daunting experience for children. It will be for the PCTs in the light of their discussions with specialist clinicians to set up the most appropriate services, but, like him, I hope that some of the services could move closer to home, as is the spirit of the White Paper.
Lord Davies of Coity: My Lords, can my noble friend confirm that the density of diabetes in children is greater among ethnic minority children? To wha! t extent is that the case?
Lord Warner: My Lords, we know that type 2 diabetes is much higher in a number of ethnic minority communities, in poorer areas and in more disadvantaged groups of the population, so my noble friend is right.
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