Publication
Sláintecare funded Community Diabetes Service on World Diabetes Day, 14th November
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
An estimated 5% of adults aged 18 and over in Ireland have diagnosed diabetes, and the total number of people living with diabetes in Ireland is growing year on year. It is expected that the number of people with Type 2 diabetes will increase by 60% over the next 10-15 years.
Diabetes care in Ireland has traditionally had a hospital focus. A new Sláintecare funded service is delivering community-based care that is patient-centred, locally delivered, coordinated and integrated.
There is one team in Galway and one in Cork.
Professor Seán Dinneen, Consultant Endocrinologist is the National Lead for the Diabetes Clinical Programme:
“The specialist Diabetes teams, comprising a Clinical Nurse Specialist (Diabetes), Senior Diabetes Dietitian and Senior Diabetes Podiatrist treat their patients in the community setting, while maintaining close links with the hospital-based specialist team. All GP Practices within these networks can access these specialised integrated diabetes care services which traditionally would only have been available in a hospital setting."
Patients are also benefiting from self-management support and prevention through specialised education programmes delivered by the specialist community teams. Patients with more complex needs can be treated in hospital. The service also allows patients to link back in with the specialist team in the community when they are discharged from hospital, which will help them manage their condition and stay well at home for longer.
Patients have had very positive experiences with the service:
One patient said:
“Amazing, exceptional, professional care. Nothing was too much trouble. The support I received was beyond all expectation. I feel that I have been so successful in managing my condition”.
Another patient says:
“It was great that the clinic is nearer to my home - no parking problems, prompt appointments. The team answers all questions, promptly arranges any aftercare, and are lovely and friendly”.
Over 90% of GP practices in both areas are engaging with the service, this is thanks to the relationships that the team built with GPs and Practice Nurses. The GP role in Chronic Disease Management is very important according to Professor Dinneen. Staff from the local Integrated Care Programme for Older People are also linking in with the service, illustrating the integrated nature of this service.
This service, that has been tested and evaluated in two areas, is now being mainstreamed under the Enhanced Community Care programme, which aims to reduce our dependence on the current hospital-centric model of care and support capacity building in the community.
Professor Dinneen says:
“Patients will benefit from joined up thinking at the policy level and joined up care on the ground."
The Sláintecare Integration Fund is supporting seven projects focused on improving access to routine diabetes care, and improving education for healthcare workers, as well as diabetes patients. This work will contribute to increasing routine care of chronic diseases in the community, making care for patients easier to access closer to home, and keeping people well in their homes and communities for as long as possible.