This Diabetes Week (14th-20th June) the RUH is highlighting the work staff are doing to raise awareness of diabetes and improve outcomes for patients living with the condition.
More than 3.2 million people are diagnosed as diabetic in the UK and twenty per cent of all patients admitted to the RUH have diabetes.
Making sure patients are identified as diabetic as close to admission as possible, and ensuring diabetic patients get the support required to manage their diabetes during their stay at the hospital, is paramount.
The innovative Acute Diabetes Service works to do just that, and has already made great strides in improving inpatient care of diabetic patients at the Trust.
Dr Marc Atkin the Consultant Diabetologist who leads the service said: “The Acute Diabetes Service, which began by providing support in the Medical Assessment Unit, has now been rolled out to a further five wards at the hospital.
“The service is going from strength to strength and has had a really positive impact on care of inpatients with the condition.
“The RUH is also supporting a project to improve diabetes care in GP practices in BaNES.
“This will involve consultants and specialist nurses from the RUH supporting staff in GP practices so that patients can receive treatment closer to home.
“Our goal is to invest in working together with our patients and our partners to ensure diabetes is not a barrier to living a long, healthy, and successful life.”
Diabetes can have a devastating impact on people’s lives. If not successfully managed, it can lead to cardiovascular disease, limb loss, and blindness.
On Wednesday 10th June, patients whose lives are affected by the condition shared their own personal stories with staff at the RUH in a special ‘See it My Way’ listening event.
Listening to the experiences of people living with a condition is a key tool in helping to raising staff awareness of the condition and encouraging best practice.
In addition to supporting patients to manage the condition, the RUH also recognise the importance of celebrating the achievements of those who have successfully managed their diabetes over the years.
The hospital are proud to present a number of Diabetes UK Medals to their patients each year.
The Nabarro Medal is awarded by the charity to people who have successfully managed their diabetes for 50 years.
This August, a patient at the Trust will receive the prestigious Robert Lawrence Medal, awarded to those who have lived with diabetes for 60 years.
