Noticeboard: Vol 10 No 10

Education for people with diabetes
Q I would like to make contact with DSNs who are providing education programmes for people with diabetes, other than DAFNE, DESMOND or X-PERT.

Elaine Lawrence, DSN, Cannock Chase PCT

A The Type 1 Education Network was formed in 2003 for all health professionals delivering structured education and is open to anyone. We have over 300 members and we run 4 regional meetings in November which were attended by 120 people representing 38 centres. 

There are at least 40 programmes besides DAFNE which are being delivered in the UK. More info about the network can be found on the National Diabetes Support Team website or contact [email protected] or [email protected]

Joan Everett, Specialist Diabetes Nurse, Bournemouth

Group education DVD for foot care
Q Does anyone know of a DVD or video regarding general diabetes foot care which would be suitable to show as part of a group education session for people newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes? We are looking to free up clinical time by starting group presentations.

Mary Warrilow, Specialist Diabetes Podiatrist, Birmingham East and North PCT

A The  Small Video Company Ltd, based in Scotland, has produced a series of educational DVDs for diabetes which cost £10 each. Their website can be found at: http://www.diabetesdvd.co.uk/ (accessed 30.11.2006). In the extras section of their DVD “Type 2 diabetes: The no nonsense guide” there is a seven-minute extra on footcare.

Louise Bradley, Sub-editor, Journal of Diabetes Nursing, London

Low cost education programmes
Q I attended the structured patient education day in London in September 2005 and came back very enthusiastic only to discover that the annual costs are approx £5000 per year in addition to the patient materials. This is a large sum and will acts a major deterrent to PCTs. It has now reduced my enthusiasm too. Do others feel the same?

Lynn Elliott, Head of Dietetics for West Hertfordshire

A Exactly! Hence, we need to campaign for local initiatives that do not incur such high costs. Sharing exemplary models such as the X-PERT programme, which only costs a total of £2500 (£500 to train the educator plus £2000 for all teaching materials), is going to be the most adaptable for many of us. The X-PERT programme can also be used with ethnic minority groups because written language does not play any major role in its delivery. It is fun and will get people coming back for more. For a type 1 structured education programme the Bournemouth Insulin Dose Adjustment Course (BIDAC) costs around £700 initially and then £100–200 annually for updating etc. This entitles you to become a member of the national Type 1 Education Network (T1EN) which will assist and support you and your team in building a philosophy, theory and full written curriculum.

Laila King, Diabetes Nurse Educator, London

Dance for people with diabetes
Q I was interested to read the recent article on exercise for people with type 2 diabetes (Logan et al, 2006). However, I was rather disappointed to see no effort being made to get people with diabetes involved in dancing classes. In my view, the right kinds of dancing can set people up for life with a low-cost hobby that protects both physical and mental health, as well as enabling the development of social skills and thereby raising self-esteem. 

Many non-profit organisations concerned with dancing are happy to welcome people with diabetes. The English Folk Dance and Song Society (www.efdss.org [accessed 10.10.2006]) and the British Association of American Square Dance Clubs (www.squaredancing.co.uk [accessed 10.10.2006]) are two such bodies, with affiliated clubs in many towns. The Royal Academy of Dance (www.rad.org.uk [accessed 10.10.2006]) also oversees many other types of dancing and can advise healthcare workers on the merits of each. Square dance clubs worldwide also have established protocols for handling medical emergencies. 

Funding for arts projects such as dancing for people with disabilities might be available from the Wellcome Trust (see the grant information at http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/funding/publicengagement/ [accessed 10.10.2006]). Unfortunately, in my experience, Arts Council England at present refuses to fund projects aimed primarily at dancing for health.

I am happy to help any readers interested in setting up dance classes for health reasons and can be contacted at home on [email protected] or telephone number 01332 664130.

Zoe Bremer, Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust