National Recognition for Diabetes Care

Reporter: Ask Bury
Date online: 06 June 2007

Diabetes sufferers across the North East of Manchester are benefiting from closer workings between local NHS teams – whose work has been described by the NHS’ Diabetes Tsar as helping to deliver the best care possible to people with diabetes.

The North East Sector Diabetes Network is a currently one of just three sites selected nationally to pilot the new Diabetes Commissioning Toolkit for the NHS.

The project is looking at how to ensure that diabetes services meet the needs of patients, and will be used to provide a framework for other NHS diabetes services to work from.

The network is a collaboration between staff from Pennine Acute Trust, which runs Fairfield General Hospital, Bury, North Manchester General Hospital, The Royal Oldham Hospital, and Rochdale Infirmary, and staff from the primary care trusts in Bury, Manchester, Heywood, Rochdale and Middleton, and Oldham, as well as patient representatives.

NHS Diabetes Tsar, Dr Sue Roberts, national clinical director for diabetes, attended a recent network meeting to hear the initial findings of the pilot.

Dr Roberts said: "Commissioning is key to ensuring that services are patient-centred and designed around the specific needs of the local population. However, this is a complex process and many people are still developing their expertise in this area.  But I was delighted to see how the Pennine Acute Trust is using the Diabetes Commissioning Toolkit to further develop high-quality diabetes services and to look at innovative ways of delivering the best care possible to people with diabetes.

"I was also encouraged to see how patients, local clinicians, managers, commissioners and the local NHS bodies have developed such good working relationships as these are critical in ensuring that diabetes sufferers get the best possible care."

Dr Susannah Rowles, consultant physician at Fairfield General Hospital and project lead, said: "As a pilot site we’ve been using the toolkit to ensure that we are providing the best services possible to people within the area.

"Through using the toolkit and because the network has such a cross section of people who have the knowledge and expertise in diabetes care, we have been able to ensure the services we are commissioning are designed to meet the future needs of the local population.

"Some of the work the network has been carrying out includes developing pathways for hospital staff to identify and treat patients with both diabetes and hypoglycaemia, while a Tier 2 diabetes service has been set up by Bury Primary Care Trust."

Mr Stephen Mills, chief executive of Bury Primary Care Trust, said: "Bury PCT is pleased to have been chosen to work with our partners on this exciting project, and to be at the forefront in the developments of Diabetes care across the country."