The Diabetes service covers Fairfield, Oldham and Rochdale hospitals and provides high quality specialist diabetes care for adults who are inpatients and some outpatients.
The Diabetes team consists of specially trained Diabetes specialist nurses, registrars and consultants who work closely with patients and ward nurses/Doctors to optimise patient’s diabetes control whilst acutely unwell as in inpatient.
The team also work closely with the obstetrics team in the hospital in caring for those patients who are pregnant with T1DM/T2DM or who have developed diabetes in pregnancy. The aim here is to optimise control with strict BG targets to enable safe delivery of baby.
We work closely with the dieticians within our MDT clinics in best to optimise control and a patient’s knowledge surrounding their diabetes
We support the hospital ward staff with providing them with educations surrounding diabetes and diabetes emergencies whilst in hospital.
The team offer the following services for inpatient patients:-
- review of BG either due to hyperglycaemia or hypoglycaemia,
- diabetic ketoacidosis,
- HHS
- education following referral from the ward staff.
The team offer the following services for outpatients :-
- review of antenatal patients in ANC, review of patients on insulin pumps,
- review of young persons between the age of 18-25years of age
- review of patients on FGM (flash glucose monitoring, e.g. Freestyle Libre) and CGM (continuous glucose monitoring, e.g. Dexcom). Both the FGM and CGM will be offered to only those patients who are appropriate for this technology
We refer patients on to educational programmes such as DAFNE or carb counting
On review of patients when they are inpatients; patients can expect to be seen by a member of the team who have read through their medical notes, noting reason for admission, length of stay, PMH, community diabetes medications and current medications. We will review blood results and blood glucose results and work with the patient and the ward staff to resolve any concerns whilst coming to an agreement about ongoing plan of care for the patient including any changes to medication. We will request specific blood test should they be required.
On review of patients who are attending clinic; patients can expect to be greeted by a member of the DSN team or as part of the MDT clinic. In clinic we will review blood glucose levels and current medication. Your latest HbA1c will be noted and a further one may be requested if required. An agreed treatment plan will be discussed and follow up arranged. Technology will be discussed at MDT appointments if this is appropriate for you.
It is helpful that all patients bring their medications and doses into hospital or to clinic appointments.
Inpatients are referred by the ward staff following strict referral criteria and for outpatient’s these are referred to by GP if fits within the young person clinic age criteria, antenatal clinic patients are referred to us via ANC, GP or community DSNs. We also receive referrals from the community nurses for patients to be considered for insulin pump therapy.
Oldham Diabetes Service (ODS) and Integrated Diabetes Service (ICDS) are our counterparts in the community.