Improving diabetes care is focus of new NHS dossier

[DCUK NewsBot]

Providing 'optimal diabetes' care is the focus of a new blueprint which has been published by NHS England. The document, The NHS RightCare Pathway: Diabetes, has been developed in a bid to improve diabetes care and reduce variation among different areas across England. A range of stakeholders collaborated on the project, including the National Clinical Director for Diabetes and Obesity, Jonathan Valabhji and Associate National Clinical Director for Diabetes, Partha Kar. The report identifies seven priority areas, including type 2 diabetes prevention, diagnosis, structured education, care planning, foot care, inpatient safety and a specialist type 1 diabetes service. Dr Kar said: "The theme that runs throughout is the need to reduce variation, base interventions on evidence and gain maximal benefit, clinically as well as on a financial basis. "The strategy also aligns with the recent release of the transformation fund, thereby showing the importance of delivery of these seven priorities highlighted. These are exciting times for diabetes care. "Only time will tell how successful these priorities are but it certainly helps set the tone for areas to focus on. The challenge now is for all systems to dovetail into delivering these seven priorities with support from all stakeholders including clinical networks, the NHS RightCare team and of course the NHS England diabetes team." The pathway provides comparisons among diabetes services which have been shown to have better health outcomes and have been identified as examples of good practice. NHS England said the pathway contains "evidence of the opportunity to reduce variation and improve outcomes and the key evidence-based interventions which the system should focus on for greatest improvement". The organisation is now urging decision makers within the health service to use the pathway guidance to base local improvement discussions around.

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