Diabetes Northamptonshire

The countywide Diabetes Northamptonshire multidisciplinary team promotes self-management to avoid acute and long-term complications of diabetes through 1-1 and group education contacts with individuals who have diabetes. We also offer telephone and email support for people with diabetes and their carers.

Overview
Meet the team
Contact us
Useful resources and links

Type

Adult Services - Diabetes MDT

The different types of diabetes care is delivered by hospitals, general practice and the countywide Multidisciplinary Diabetes Team working together to ensure a full and comprehensive range of services are available in Northamptonshire.

Our Multidisciplinary Diabetes Team (MDT) promotes positive self-management of a person's diabetes to help prevent admission to acute services and minimise long term complications of diabetes. This is done through personal clinic appointments, group-based education courses for those living with diabetes and those who are for them, as well as appointments and telephone access support.

Our appointments can be held face to face or virtually, and our telephone access support not only helps people with diabetes but also their carers and other healthcare professionals.

The Northamptonshire MDT offers their complex skill set to benefit our population and working together with many teams from across the county we aim to ensure that diabetes care makes a difference for people, with people.

Who is this service for? Adults with diabetes and those who provide care for them.

Please note: We aim to ensure that our services are accessible, please speak to us before your appointment so we can adapt our practice to best suit you.

Meet the team

Our teams consist of specialist consultants, dietitians, nurses, support workers and diabetes educators.

Contact us

Telephone Enquiries: 0300 027 2890 9am to 5pm working weekdays

Please leave a clear message including your name, contact details and a brief reason for enquiry. Messages are retrieved at regular intervals during the day and are assigned to the appropriate practitioner for follow up.

Referrals and Email Enquiries: diabetes.northants@nhft.nhs.uk

We establish priority for referrals and telephone calls into service and aim to respond within 2 to 5 working days. If you require urgent or out of hours support, please contact urgent care or emergency services.

Diabetes Course Bookings and Enquiries: 0300 027 2282 9am to 5pm working weekdays.

Please leave a message including your name, contact details and the course you are interested in. Messages are retrieved at regular intervals during the day, for further details please go to Information on Diabetes Courses page.

Useful resources and links

NHS Northamptonshire Talking Therapies

Trend UK offers downloadable leaflets on different topics:

Diabetes UK is the leading charity for people living with diabetes in the UK. The website has helpful information; its vision is a world where diabetes can do no harm.

Breakthrough T1D UK Type 1 Diabetes Research

Diabetes Northamptonshire Carer Association

I am a professional looking for information
We wanted to make this section as easy and possible so please click through to find the information you are looking for.
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- I am looking for policies, protocols and other information
  
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  Policies and protocols
  
  Assessment of Competency to Administer Insulin via Insulin Syringes or Insulin Pens
  
  Blood glucose monitoring, Hypoglycaemia & Hyperglycaemia Competency
  
  Protocol for the Administration of Insulin to Adults with Diabetes (Review Jan 22) MMPr019
  
  Standard Operating Procedure Blood Glucose monitoring
  
  Sharps safe information for community nurses
  
  Treatment of Hypoglycaemia in inpatient and outpatient settings (Review May 2020) MMPr038
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  NICE Guidance
  
  Type 2 diabetes in adults: management
  
  Type 1 diabetes in adults: diagnosis and management
  
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- Diabetes group courses - course details
  
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  DESMOND - Diabetes Education and Self Management for On-going and Newly Diagnosed
  
  Who is this course suitable for?
  
  This course is recommended for adults newly diagnosed with T2 diabetes (9 months of diagnosis).
  
  About the course
  
  The course focuses on lifestyle modification and behaviour change, delivered by trained educators with experience of working in diabetes care.
  This can be delivered face to face, in a full day or two half-day sessions. Virtual courses are 3 x 2hour sessions.
  
  Digital course MyDESMOND
  
  Diabetes and glucose: what happens in the body
  
  Risk factors for developing diabetes and associated with the long-term complications of diabetes
  
  Monitoring and medication
  
  How to take control to reduce the risks associated with developing diabetes and the long-term complications, in relation to food choices, physical activity and psychological wellbeing
  
  Planning for the future
  
  Clinician referral process
  
  Please refer immediately upon diagnosis via DESMOND referral form on your clinical system.
  An opt-in letter or phone call will guide course selection and a convenient location.
  Outcome of referral will be coded in SystmOne and in an outcome letter to support delivery of KPI’s to evidence quality care.
  
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  DAFNE - Dose Adjustment for Normal Eating
  
  Who is the course suitable for?
  
  This course is recommended for adults diagnosed with Type 1 after 6 and 12 months of diagnosis.
  
  DAFNE can be re-offered and the patient can be re-referred at any time.
  
  DAFNE Refresher course is offered annually and is designed to refresh knowledge after attendance at DAFNE course.
  
  About the course
  
  This is a leading structured patient education programme for adults with type 1 diabetes. It aims to help participants lead as normal a life as possible, whilst maintaining blood glucose levels within healthy targets.
  
  Delivered in a range of formats, with courses for those using insulin pens or pumps for insulin delivery.
  
  DAFNE courses are delivered by diabetes specialist dietitians and nurses, supported by a DAFNE trained doctor.
  
  Clinician referral process
  
  Please refer via DAFNE referral form on your clinical system.
  
  Patients will have the opportunity to choose a course convenient to them.
  
  Outcome of referral will be coded to support you in delivering quality care.
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  Carb Counting and Insulin Dose Adjustment
  
  Who is this course suitable for?
  
  This course is available to adults with:
  
  Type 1 diabetes who are unable to commit to DAFNE or need an update
  
  Type 2 diabetes on basal bolus regime
  
  About the course
  
  Focus on learning the principles of carbohydrate counting and adjusting basal/ background and quick acting insulin, to optimise blood glucose management day to day and in different situations, reducing the risk of DKA, Hypos and long-term complications.
  
  Clinician referral process
  
  Please refer via Diabetes MDT referral form on your clinical system.
  
  Patients will have the opportunity to choose a course convenient to them.
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  Looking After Me and My Diabetes
  
  Who is this course suitable for?
  
  This course is available to adults with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes with a learning disability.
  
  About the course
  
  The course focuses on interactive diabetes learning to promote healthy management of diabetes.
  
  The measured pace of learning is adjusted to meet learner need.
  
  The course is supported by easy-read materials.
  
  Carer/ supporter attendance is essential to facilitate the achievement of goals and actions plans.
  
  Clinician referral process
  
  Refer via Diabetes MDT referral form on your clinical system.
  
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  Carbohydrate Awareness, Living Well and Eating Well
  
  Who is the course suitable for?
  
  This course is available to adults with type 2 diabetes, to support achievement of personal goals.
  
  About the course
  
  This course focuses on increasing skill, knowledge and confidence to self-manage as diabetes progresses and life changes.
  
  The course can be delivered face to face in 2 half days or via a virtual mix of e-learning / videos and 2hour consolidation sessions on MST.
  
  Clinician referral process
  
  Please refer via Diabetes MDT referral form on your clinical system.
  
  Patients will have the opportunity to choose a course convenient to them.
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Information on Diabetes courses

Newly Diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes

DESMOND is a group course for people with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes (diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in the last nine months).

The course is delivered face-to-face or via video call and covers:

Understanding diabetes and glucose: what happens in the body
Understanding more about monitoring and medication
Understanding the risk factors and complications associated with diabetes
How to take control - Food Choices - Physical Activity
Planning for future

All courses are under the supervision of healthcare professionals and diabetes educators.

MyDESMOND is an interactive digital platform for people with type 2 diabetes designed to support and educate through videos, activities, and quizzes, offers opportunities for people with type 2 diabetes to speak with others from across the UK and Ireland to share ideas and gain peer support. Translated languages include Bengali and Hindi.

Group Education for People with Type 2 Diabetes

This group education course has been developed with the aim of increasing knowledge and confidence in self-managing Type 2 Diabetes. The course takes an interactive approach and enables participants to create a personal self-management plan.

Session 1: Diabetes and Carbohydrate Awareness

Topics covered in this session include:

What is diabetes?
Diabetes medication
Monitoring, targets, and hypoglycaemia
Healthy eating with diabetes
The 4 steps to carbohydrate awareness

Session 2: Living Well and Eating Well with Diabetes

Topics covered in this session include:

Eating well with diabetes (including meal plans)
Healthy weight
Reducing the risk of long-term effects
Physical activity
Emotional eating

Type 1 Diabetes

DAFNE stands for Dose Adjustment for Normal Eating. It aims to help adults with type 1 diabetes lead as normal life as possible, whilst also maintaining blood glucose levels within healthy targets to reduce the risk of long-term diabetes complications.

There are different ways in which you can complete a DAFNE course, either on a face-to-face DAFNE course or a Remote DAFNE course.

On a face-to-face course, you will attend a 5-day training course (either Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm, or one day per week for 5 weeks), with follow-up sessions after the course.

Remote DAFNE courses are an option for people who feel that a face-to-face course is not for them. The Remote DAFNE course will take 5 weeks to complete. It includes online learning from home each week and weekly group video support calls with other participants as well as follow up sessions after the course.

All courses are under the supervision of DAFNE-trained educators (who are specially trained NHS diabetes specialist nurses and dietitians).

People with Learning Disabilities or Cognitive Impairment: Looking After Me and My Diabetes

This course can support adults to improve their understanding of diabetes. Adults and their carers/ supporters attend together. The course provides self-management education including:

learn how to make healthier food choices
learn more about keeping fit
learn about medication
learn more about health checks for your diabetes

Virtual Carbohydrate Counting and Insulin Dose Adjustment Course

The Virtual Carbohydrate Counting Course is delivered over 2-sessions and can act as an introduction or refresher to carbohydrate counting. It develops the skill required to support people with Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes (if taking both background insulin and quick acting insulin with food) to learn to carbohydrate count accurately.

The Virtual Insulin Dose Adjustment course is a further 2 sessions which covers the principles of adjusting your insulin in different situations.

Additional information around diabetes

Information on eyes and feet

Information on Eyes

www.nhft.nhs.uk/diabeticeye

Information on Feet

www.nhft.nhs.uk/foot-service

Paediatrics and Diabetes

This service is for managing children and adolescents (young people) with diabetes whose care is different from those for adults. Children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes become more aggressive in identifying goals and negotiating plans with families to meet standards and target HbAC1 levels. Treatment plans are sometimes successful, but often they fall short because of multiple factors. These challenges require deeper exploration to identify sources of barriers to treatment and more effective strategies for motivation and behaviour change.

Factors that contribute to paediatric challenges include normal growth and development, psychological characteristics, health status, family dynamics (including socioeconomic status and cultural considerations), and care outside of the home, such as in the school setting. These components increase the intricacy of caring for paediatric patients in general, and the addition of a chronic condition often further increases the complexity.

Pregnancy and Diabetes

Pregnancy with gestational diabetes information leaflet[pdf] 442KB

Diabetes Northamptonshire

Search the NHFT website

Community healthcare services - adults