Lack of GP referrals to structured diabetes education

[DCUK NewsBot]

Diabetes patients should be referred by their GPs to structured education courses to help them better understand and self-manage their condition. That's the message from a group of diabetes specialists who have been discussing ways to improve support for people with diabetes in the UK. Speakers at the first all party parliamentary group (APPG) meeting for diabetes this week urged GPs to refer more diabetic patients to education services and said a nationally-standardised structured education system was vital for improving diabetes care, after it was revealed "too few" patients were being given the necessary skills to effectively control their condition. Data from the National Diabetes Audit 2011/12, released last year, showed only 5% of diabetes patients were referred to a structured education programme during that 12-month period, and of those, just 1% took up the programme. Dr Trudi Deakin, CE and founder of the diabetes education course X-PERT Health, blamed the lack of referrals on a "lack of awareness" of the benefits of structured education in both general practice and primary care. She said: "They're seen as an optional extra, rather than an integral part of diabetes treatment and management. When people are offered it and it’s introduced in a positive light, they do tend to take it up." The experts added the label 'education' deters patients by making them seem 'optional' or "like going back to school". They suggested re-branding and promoting the services as 'essential training' which forms part of the normal, ongoing treatment for diabetes. But Dr David Payton, RCGP clinical lead for commissioning, warned that increasing self-care support for diabetes patients would require a 'huge amount of training' for general practice, which might not be feasible, and that focusing on structured diabetes education ignores the fact that most affected patients are likely to have co-morbidities. "The evidence we've got is that, of the people with diabetes, less than 15% have only got diabetes. So in other words, over 85% of those people I look after have at least one other long-term condition. "I think to just look at education for diabetes is ignoring the importance of this. We've got to think about it in the context of a multi-morbidity agenda, not just a disease-specific agenda because otherwise we’ll sort something out for the 15% and leave out the other 85% of the population."

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[jim1951]

Diabetes patients should be referred by their GPs to structured education courses to help them better understand and self-manage their condition. That's the message from a group of diabetes specialists who have been discussing ways to improve support for people with diabetes in the UK. Speakers at the first all party parliamentary group (APPG) meeting for diabetes this week urged GPs to refer more diabetic patients to education services and said a nationally-standardised structured education system was vital for improving diabetes care, after it was revealed "too few" patients were being given the necessary skills to effectively control their condition. Data from the National Diabetes Audit 2011/12, released last year, showed only 5% of diabetes patients were referred to a structured education programme during that 12-month period, and of those, just 1% took up the programme. Dr Trudi Deakin, CE and founder of the diabetes education course X-PERT Health, blamed the lack of referrals on a "lack of awareness" of the benefits of structured education in both general practice and primary care. She said: "They're seen as an optional extra, rather than an integral part of diabetes treatment and management. When people are offered it and it’s introduced in a positive light, they do tend to take it up." The experts added the label 'education' deters patients by making them seem 'optional' or "like going back to school". They suggested re-branding and promoting the services as 'essential training' which forms part of the normal, ongoing treatment for diabetes. But Dr David Payton, RCGP clinical lead for commissioning, warned that increasing self-care support for diabetes patients would require a 'huge amount of training' for general practice, which might not be feasible, and that focusing on structured diabetes education ignores the fact that most affected patients are likely to have co-morbidities. "The evidence we've got is that, of the people with diabetes, less than 15% have only got diabetes. So in other words, over 85% of those people I look after have at least one other long-term condition. "I think to just look at education for diabetes is ignoring the importance of this. We've got to think about it in the context of a multi-morbidity agenda, not just a disease-specific agenda because otherwise we’ll sort something out for the 15% and leave out the other 85% of the population."

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[jim1951]

I was offered a structured course. Dates were limited and the course organiser confirmed dates to me. These were for 2 three hour sessions on the same day for consecutive weeks. I had to move many things in my diary so that I could attend and when I had not received joining instructions by a few days beforehand I rang again. Unfortunately, they had mislaid my paperwork and the course was now full and I wasn't on it!! I suggested they could add me on as surely one more person would not make a big difference and after all they were at fault. But it appeared I was up against a jobsworth who was being inflexible.

The point I am making is that the article states that people are not coming forward for the courses.......well I am but they are making it very difficult for me.

jim

 

[Lesscarbs]

Diabetes patients should be referred by their GPs to structured education courses to help them better understand and self-manage their condition. That's the message from a group of diabetes specialists who have been discussing ways to improve support for people with diabetes in the UK. Speakers at the first all party parliamentary group (APPG) meeting for diabetes this week urged GPs to refer more diabetic patients to education services and said a nationally-standardised structured education system was vital for improving diabetes care, after it was revealed "too few" patients were being given the necessary skills to effectively control their condition. Data from the National Diabetes Audit 2011/12, released last year, showed only 5% of diabetes patients were referred to a structured education programme during that 12-month period, and of those, just 1% took up the programme. Dr Trudi Deakin, CE and founder of the diabetes education course X-PERT Health, blamed the lack of referrals on a "lack of awareness" of the benefits of structured education in both general practice and primary care. She said: "They're seen as an optional extra, rather than an integral part of diabetes treatment and management. When people are offered it and it’s introduced in a positive light, they do tend to take it up." The experts added the label 'education' deters patients by making them seem 'optional' or "like going back to school". They suggested re-branding and promoting the services as 'essential training' which forms part of the normal, ongoing treatment for diabetes. But Dr David Payton, RCGP clinical lead for commissioning, warned that increasing self-care support for diabetes patients would require a 'huge amount of training' for general practice, which might not be feasible, and that focusing on structured diabetes education ignores the fact that most affected patients are likely to have co-morbidities. "The evidence we've got is that, of the people with diabetes, less than 15% have only got diabetes. So in other words, over 85% of those people I look after have at least one other long-term condition. "I think to just look at education for diabetes is ignoring the importance of this. We've got to think about it in the context of a multi-morbidity agenda, not just a disease-specific agenda because otherwise we’ll sort something out for the 15% and leave out the other 85% of the population."

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I read with interest the comments on diabetes education. In March 2013 at my annual review my HbA1c was 7.2, after the nurse at my doctors told me I would soon be on insulin (I was not on any medication) I discussed with her what I needed to do. Her advice was eat half a plate of carbohydrates, fruit between meals and only eat oily fish such as salmon sparingly, I don’t eat meat or chicken so this gave me a lot of problems.

Unfortunately I followed her advice and in March 2014 my HbA1c had gone up to 7.8. A few days later I got a call from my doctors to pick up my prescription. Without any discussion the nurse had got the doctor to prescribe Metformin for me. I made an appointment and saw the doctor I was most unhappy with what had gone on. Without help from my doctors I got myself on the X-Pert Diabetes course (they had told me there were no courses in our area).

What an eye opener! I changed my eatwell plate, no longer half a plate of carbs. 3 meals a day, no eating in between, fruit with the meal not in between and reduced/limited my carbs. I upped my exercise and in just 10 weeks I lost 12lbs in weight 1.5 inches off my waist. My blood pressure came down to below normal. I had another HbA1c and when I saw my doctor it was now 6.5 and he reduced my blood pressure tablet from 10mg to 5mg.

Without going on the course I would with the help of my nurse probably be on insulin.

I can’t recommend the X-Pert Diabetes course enough.