General practice management of people with diabetes requiring insulin: An assessment of needs carried out in the New Forest PCT

• Published in: Practical diabetes international 2006-06, Vol.23 (5), p.201-204
• Main Authors: Sandeman, D, Holt, R, Chester, P
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1357-8170; 1528-252X
• DOI: 10.1002/pdi.947

The care of patients with diabetes using insulin in the UK is moving inexorably to primary care. To ensure that the service provided is of the highest quality, and meets the needs of patients and the requirements of the National Service Framework, it is important that primary carers are provided with the support they need. While some general practitioners and practice nurses have developed specialist skills, little is known about the needs of general practice to manage the delivery of this service. There is an abundance of available support including training, national and local guidelines and information. How much of this is known to general practice and is designed to accommodate the increasingly busy lives of health care providers in general practice is not clear. This paper presents the results from a survey of general practices in the New Forest Primary Care Trust and identifies needs that GPs and nurses have stated as important for the management of people with diabetes using insulin. Although awareness of the requirements for high quality care is high among GPs and practice nurses, there is a lack of confidence in managing insulin. Both GPs and nurses identified training, simplified guidelines and improved information on insulin products as their priority needs for supporting the service for patients on insulin. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.