This award recognises the importance of providing specialised, tailored and safe care to people with diabetes while in hospital. Submissions were welcomed for initiatives in both situations, where diabetes is or isn’t the cause of admission.
Winner
ThinkGlucose by Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Trust
The Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Trust launched the ThinkGlucose project with the aims of i) increasing awareness of diabetes in in-patients, ii) ensuring early involvement of specialists with an early discharge/follow-up plan to reduce the length of stay and iii) reducing prescription errors and improving patient care through updated guidelines. It achieved these aims with a reduction in insulin prescription errors, a drop in inappropriate referral and an improvement in hypoglycaemia management. ThinkGlucose has been a clear success, resulting in improved outcomes for various diabetes related endpoints.
Second place
ThinkGlucose by Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust
Following an unsatisfactory National Inpatient Survey in 2009, the Trust implemented the NHS Institute for Improvement and Innovations ThinkGlucose project. After a fruitful year’s work from four highly motivated and committed work streams, referrals to the diabetes specialist team have increased; staff are graded as above the National Average in their ability to answer questions on diabetes; length of stay for patients with a secondary diagnosis of diabetes has reduced by one day and patients feel that their diabetes care, while in hospital, has improved since their last admission. Two CQUINS were attached to the project both of which were achieved with a £515,000 monetary value.
Third place
In-patient Project by Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust
A cross-sectional hospital audit showed an increase in the secondary diagnosis of diabetes, so this team developed an in-patient project targeting four specific areas of emergency, vascular surgery, elderly and renal patients with dedicated nurse, and medical time on a daily basis. Improvements in the length of stay, reduction in re-admissions, reduction of in-hospital hypoglycaemic events along with improvement in both in-patient and staff satisfaction were evident. The project has been a success, leading to a reduction in re-admissions, an improvement in length of stay and increased patient and staff satisfaction.
Finalists
Diabetes Management module by Barnet and Chase Farm NHS Trust
The Barnet and Chase Farm NHS Trust utilised the power of the internet to launch a “diabetes management” web-based educational module for junior doctors that provides all the knowledge they require to identify and treat diabetic patients safely in any clinical scenario. Upon successful completion of the module (a 100% score on a final questionnaire) a Certificate of Diabetes Management is issued. The module has greatly improved diabetes care within the Trust.
ThinkGlucose by Cambridge University Hospitals
The CUH ThinkGlucose team wants to promote excellent in-patient care of diabetes across the Trust and feels passionately that this work is shared with others. This has required tenacious dedication, energy and innovative thinking by the team. Several hurdles have been overcome by collaboration with all stakeholders across the Trust. The team has proactively infi ltrated current Trust-wide teaching packages and designed new training material and assessment tools of its own which has attracted attention nationwide. It will continue to pursue the best quality of in-patient diabetes care possible.
Insulin Sliding Scale by Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust
In 2008 a patient died awaiting minor surgery due to catastrophic hypoglycaemia while being administered Insulin Sliding Scale without concomitant intravenous dextrose. A working party was set up to identify the root causes and prevent a future event. It developed guidelines and protocols to standardise and improve in-patient diabetes management, which were introduced into a pilot site using the Plan, Do, Study, Act change cycle. Patient safety and quality of care have been improved and cost savings achieved.
Establishing Diabetes In-patient Specialist Nurses in Northern Ireland by Sanofi
In 2008 Northern Ireland’s South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust found that one in fi ve patients had diabetes and that surgical patients spent 84% longer in hospital. The Trust developed a bespoke proactive service to address the needs of both diabetes in-patients and staff. The DISN role was established to provide continuity for patients and allow them to make decisions regarding their care. The service has clearly been a success with a decrease in length of stay and an increase in the number of prevented admissions. The DISN role is now a vital part of the hospital service, changing the way inpatients are managed.
