Our Diabetes Nurse Specialist provides a range of services to both health care practitioners and diabetes patients.

• Training and education to primary and community health care providers
• Working with local commissioners and partners to develop the provision of diabetes services in the community
• Educating patients with Type 2 Diabetes patients via the ‘DESMOND’ Programme

About the DESMOND programme

DESMOND stands for Diabetes Education and Self Management for Ongoing and Newly Diagnosed.

This is a proven, national programme that provides education in the effective self-management of Type 2 diabetes.

The course is delivered by accredited facilitators and is an interactive course delivered to small groups of up to 10 participants. These can be a mixture of people with Type 2 diabetes and their partners or friend who is there to support them.

The course covers all aspects of managing diabetes including:

• Understanding your thoughts and feelings
• Understanding what is happening to your body
• Risk factors and how to manage them
• Monitoring and medication
• Food choices and exercise
• Setting goals for the future

DESMOND is successful because it improves understanding of the condition and how to manage it. It encourages positive behaviour changes such as weight reduction and increased physical exercise and it has also shown to have resulted in a reduction in depression.

Health Professionals Training & Education

The aspect of our Diabetes service is to provide specialist education and training for both registered and non-registered practitioners. This includes GP practices, community nurses, care homes and other community providers.

The aim is to improve the knowledge and skills across the community for heath care practitioners dealing with people suffereing from diabetes.

The courses include:

• Diabetes Awareness
• Insulin Management
• Diabetes Foot Care
• Glucometer training
• MERIT diabetes modules – these modules are for Registered Health Professionals who manage patients with Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes within Primary Care and covers all treatment options

Our Diabetes Nurse Specialist also provides advice and support to GP practices and community nurses including mentorship to assist individuals achieve their competencies regarding diabetes management.