What care to expect?
Diabetes UK have published a document alongside their care survey, to provide people with diabetes a list of what care they should be receiving from their healthcare professional. The Diabetes UK survey can be carried out online, just follow this link to answer questions about the care you receive Diabetes UK Survey.
The document published by Diabetes UK details the minimum level of care that every person with diabetes should receive from their health care team. Ensuring you receive all the necessarry tests and having access to the necessarry health care professionals will ensure you manage your diabetes in the most effective way.
Please use the following check list to go through and see what you are receiving and what is missing from your care. If you feel that there are many areas missing within your care please use the details on the Contact Us page to let us know.
Check list:
- Get your blood glucose levels measured - with an annual HbA1c.
- Get your blood pressure measured - annually and set targets.
- Get your blood cholesterol measured - annually.
- Have your eyes screened - it is important to have annual retinal screening.
- Have your feet and legs checked - you should have the pulses and feeling in your feet and legs checked annually.
- Get your kidney functions monitored - when you have an annual review you should have two kidney tests, one that is tested by providing a sample of urine and the other from a blood test.
- Weight - you should be weighed and if you have type 2 diabetes you should have your waist measured.
- Receive support if you smoke - your health care professional should provide you with or point you to a support team to provide advice on how to quit.
- Receive a care plan - within many of your surgeries you should now be receiving information on care planning. You should decide on your own individual care plan with your health care professional.
- Attend an education course - you should be offered the oppurtunity to attend a structured education course within Bexley we provide the DAFNE course for people with type 1 diabetes and X-Pert for people with type 2 diabetes. Please visit our patient education course page to find out more.
- Receive paediatric care if you are a child or young person - you should get care from specialist paediatric health care professionals.
- Receive a high quality of care if admitted to hospital - if you stay in hospital you should continue receiving a high quality service from a specialist diabetes team.
- Receive specialist care if you are planning to have a baby - you should expect more care and support for every stage of the pregnancy from pre-conception to post natal.
- See specialist diabetes health care professionals - you should have access to see a variety of specialists for your diabetes care, as well as the specialist diabetes nurses and consultants, you should be able to access if necessarry a podiatrist, dietician and opthalmologist.
- Get emotional pyschological support - you should be able to access services to discuss your issues and concerns about living with diabetes.
Some of this information has been reproduced from the Diabetes UK publication - "Diabetes - what care should you receive." Please follow this link to view the Diabetes UK PDF document and their mission statment on the publication, Diabetes UK Care Checklist.
