Four regional networks have been honoured as finalists at the Quality in Care Diabetes Awards. The Wales Network won the overall award in the Empowering People with Diabetes category, while the East of England Network, North West Network and Thames Valley Network were highly commended in the Diabetes Collaboration Initiative of the Year category.
The QiC Diabetes Awards ceremony was held on Thursday 12 October 2017. The awards were supported by the National Children and Young People’s Diabetes Network.
An Awareness of Type 1 Diabetes in Schools and Other Settings
The East of England Network, North West Network and Thames Valley Network, in collaboration with JDRF, the type 1 diabetes charity, and Virtual College, were highly commended in the Diabetes Collaboration Initiative of the Year category for their work on developing a free online training course which is available for anyone to access.
The course is available at http://type1diabetestraining.co.uk and has been endorsed by the National Children and Young People’s Diabetes Network. It is aimed at all professionals who work in schools and other settings where they may come into contact with children and young people who have type 1 diabetes.
There are two levels in the training course. The basic level provides an awareness of what type 1 diabetes is and how to support children and young people with the condition. The advanced level includes the basic course and gives further information about checking blood glucose levels and how to administer insulin.
Until now, there has been no such nationwide online educational tool, and therefore the education of school staff has had to be delivered completely in person by diabetes healthcare professionals. This is a time-consuming process and can often delay the child’s return to school following diagnosis.
This is also the first such e-learning module to have been developed collaboratively by diabetes and network teams from three geographical areas across the UK. It is now available for school staff working across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Empowering Children and Young People with Diabetes through Structured Education
The Wales Network is celebrating winning the Empowering People with Diabetes category with its work to provide structured education across Wales.
The entry explained how the SEREN structured education programme has been introduced in every paediatric unit in Wales to ensure that all newly diagnosed children and young people and their families receive the information they need to successfully manage diabetes.
The SEREN programme has been developed by a multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals and parent representatives from across Wales. The first set of modules is designed to be delivered over the 6–8 weeks following diagnosis.
The programme includes a full curriculum with lesson plans for staff, a workbook for the young people with diabetes, educator records to track their progress through each module and an array of supporting teaching resources that visually explain some of the abstract ideas of diabetes. There are three separate workbooks which match the educational level of the child, based on the educational key stages used in schools, and a separate family workbook to support family members who are involved in managing their child’s diabetes.
Using SEREN ensures consistency and equity of care for all children and young people with diabetes and their families across Wales. For example, when a young person was diagnosed with diabetes on holiday in Pembrokeshire, he received treatment and began working through the SEREN Diabetes at Diagnosis module with the paediatric diabetes team in the local area. At the end of his holiday, he returned home to North Wales, where his local paediatric diabetes team was able to review how much he had completed in his personal workbook and continue seamlessly with the education.
More information is available at: www.serendiabetes.org.uk.
This site is intended for healthcare professionals only
