Noticeboard: Vol 16 No 3

Band 2 practitioners prompting individuals to administer own insulin

Q We are currently exploring the complexities around Band 3 non-registered practitioners administering insulin. In the meantime, to assist with clinical demands, we are considering Band 2 non-registered practitioners “prompting” individuals to administer their own insulin. Do any DSNs have any experience with working with community staff to facilitate this and any documentation that has assisted them with the process?

Jill Little, DSN, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh

A Across Bradford and Airedale, we currently have a model in place in which insulin administration can be delegated to non-qualified staff. This could be either a carer(s) in a nursing home or a healthcare assistant working with a district nurse team. The care responsibility remains with the district nurse, but after the non-qualified member of staff has completed some compulsory education sessions delivered by the DSN team and completed the safe use of insulin e-learning package, they undertake a period of supervised practice with the district nurse and are then assessed in terms of their competency to administer insulin for a particular individual. They need to complete a period of supervised practice and competency assessment for every patient whose care they have delegated to them. It is the district nurse’s responsibility to monitor their practice and review competency on a 12-month basis.

We are happy to share our policy for reference purposes. Send an email titled “Please send policy for preparation of unqualified staff for diabetes care” to [email protected].

Mags Bannister, Nurse Consultant in Diabetes Care, Bradford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Bradford