Diabetes is a condition that causes a person’s blood sugar to become too high which in turn can seriously damage the body’s organs. The Cumbria Diabetes team (Cumbria Partnership NHS FT) provides structured education for people with confirmed Diabetes and for people identified as having an increased risk of Type 2 Diabetes.
Dr Cathy Hay, Clinical Director of Cumbria Diabetes explained: “Our aim is to provide education to people ‘at risk’ of Diabetes and with a confirmed diagnosis, to support people in making informed choices. The importance of what we eat and how active we are, can be huge in terms of avoiding Type 2 Diabetes and also affects the treatment required for diabetes. We also recognise the importance of patient education in helping people with diabetes be more confident to be actively involved in decisions around their Diabetes".
Structured education can help people to take control of their condition and enable them to make positive changes to improve their health. In Cumbria over 6000 people with Type 2 Diabetes have attended the nationally recognised “DESMOND” structured education programme since it was launched in the county in 2009.
Cumbria Diabetes has also delivered a diabetes prevention programme since 2012. 4000 people identified at increased risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes have attended this programme since it was launched. Cathy Hay added: “The delivery of these programmes has gained national recognition with Cumbria Diabetes receiving the national “Celebrating DESMOND award for Excellence” in 2014.
The Partnership Trust also provides a free regular programme for GPs and nurses, covering different aspects of Diabetes care, to help them upskill and improve their care for people with Diabetes.
In addition to the work of Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Diabetes training for staff is provided by Cumbria Learning and Improvement Collaborative (CLIC) – this is a joint venture between the NHS, social care and the local authority in Cumbria. CLIC provide a variety of courses and a recent addition are training events for those who want to learn more about Diabetes, working with patients’ and improve their skills.