Noticeboard: Vol 11 No 4

Nurse-led clinics
Q I would like to see DSNs and PNs with a special interest in diabetes running locality-wide insulin clinics, keeping the person with diabetes’ own GP in the loop to manage the medical side. I put forward the idea of nurse-led insulin clinics in my two localities. However, they are proposing a locality wide GPSI-led diabetes clinics.

What would appeal to me is a training pathway for primary care nurses with a special interest in diabetes to run nurse-led insulin clinics with secondary care based DSNs.
Do any other areas have nurse-led insulin clinics and could they get in contact?
Dorothy Cook, Diabetes Specialist Nurse

Presentations for community nurses
Q We are currently looking at our ward documentation in relation to recording capillary glucose levels and the charting of insulin for inpatients with diabetes admitted with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). We are considering combining the charts of insulin and blood sugars into one chart. We would be grateful of any examples of similar documentation to this.
Ann Wall, CNS Diabetes, Cork University Hospital, Ireland 

A When I was a DSN at Scunthorpe we developed a blood glucose monitoring chart to be used across the Trust. The idea was for patients to self-monitor and input information. It has, for example, elements for insulin dose and ketone testing. Maybe there is something which could be transferred for DKA. 
Tracey Clay, Diabetes Clinical Support Nurse,Crawley

Diabetes helplines
Q Does anyone have any examples or information of helplines for adults with diabetes that they would share?
Janet Wilson, Diabetes Network Manager, Wakefield District and North Kirkless Diabetes Network.

A The Royal College of Nursing have just produced the following publication which may be of some use: Telephone advice lines for people with long term conditions: guidance for nursing practitioners. You can download it from the National Diabetes Support Team website: http://www.diabetes.nhs.uk/downloads/telephone_advice_lines_for_people_with_long_term_conditions.pdf/ (accessed 23.04.2007)
Joanne Boshell,  National Diabetes Support Team, Leicester