Our Trust offers a comprehensive service in diabetes and endocrinology.
Diabetes is a condition which may require input from a number of health professionals including:
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Doctors - who assess, make diagnoses, choose treatments and guide care.
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Diabetes specialist nurses (DSNs) - these provide education, interpret blood glucose readings, adjust insulin dosages, and provide dietary advice. Our diabetes specialist nursing team are adept at teaching blood glucose monitoring and insulin injections, insulin pump services and help support the KAT1E (Kent Adult Type1 Education) programme.
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Podiatrists - care for people with foot problems.
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Retinal photographers - take photographs of the back of patients’ eyes at annual review to check for diabetes related eye complications.
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Dieticians - these also provide education regarding diabetes and its treatment, interpret blood glucose readings, adjust insulin dosages, and provide dietary advice.
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Secretaries - make appointments, answer patient phone calls, and provide GPs with letters detailing a patient’s appointment.
The Trust also has an expanding pump therapy service in diabetes and a multidisciplinary diabetic foot team for both inpatients and outpatients.
To ensure proper integration of care, the diabetic consultants are supported by a team of community diabetic specialist nurses employed by Kent Community Health Foundation Trust They see patients referred from diabetic clinics and also follow up ward discharge patients allowing the smooth transfer of care from the hospital trust to the community. They also participate in our multidisciplinary clinics especially in the management of diabetes during pregnancy and facilitating transitional care from paediatrics to adult services.
Our Trust offers a comprehensive service with close alliance with the Paula Carr charity especially around retinal screening for diabetic eye complications. Our diabetes and endocrine services include but are not limited to:
- Retinal screening programme
- Structured Diabetes Education programmes such as KAT1E (Kent Adult Type 1 Education) for patients with Type 1 diabetes and DERIK (Diabetes Education and Revision in Kent) for patients with Type 2 diabetes.
- Insulin pump service
- Lipid disorders clinic
- Multi-disciplinary team rapid access specialist foot clinic (with vascular and orthopaedic surgeons)
- Diabetes in Pregnancy Service (with the obstetrician and diabetic midwife)
- Transitional/ Young adult diabetes service (with the paediatrician).
Patients suitable for whole organ pancreas or islet cell transplants are referred to King's College Hospital for assessment for this procedure.