WINNER
Embedding Psychotherapy Within a Community Diabetes Team
by Diabetes Care for You, Sussex Community Foundation Trust
Diabetes Care for You (DCFY) is a community diabetes service commissioned in 2016 to provide care to two Clinical Commissioning Groups. It integrates diabetes psychotherapy and emotional support with the patient pathway and the multidisciplinary team (MDT). This includes clinical work with women with sexual dysfunction, group education for Type 1 (T1) patients and psychological information for a new Type 2 (T2) education curriculum. An eating disorder pathway was created for T1 (Diabulimia) and T2 patients with Binge Eating Disorder. Psychological assessment is available for patients requiring insulin pump therapy and the team works with the young adult clinic MDT.
Judges’ comments:
“A truly innovative approach to integrating diabetes services with all aspects of the patient pathway and the MDT. This produced a clear impact on the most important measures, reductions in Hba1c and improved psychology scores. The focus on female sexual dysfunction is also commendably groundbreaking. This paves the way for further work to generate cost effectiveness data and ensure its spread nationally.”
FINALIST
Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Through an Integrated Care Pathway
by Sheffield IAPT Health & Wellbeing
The introduction of a new primary care mental health service for people with diabetes in Sheffield, the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Health & Wellbeing Service (IAPT-HWS), was driven by the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health (FYFVMH), for parity of esteem between mental and physical health. Also, there was a large unmet need for people with diabetes and additional mental health issues locally. Collaboration between two NHS trusts resulted in a new integrated care pathway offering psychological support as a routine part of physical health care.
Judges’ comments:
“A very good example of multidisciplinary working to promote joined-up local referral pathways and improve access to psychological therapies. It produced a sound evidence base around the benefits of psychological therapy, with opportunity to add evidence of impact on HbA1C as well.”
