The Link: Vol 11 No 7

Royal College of Nursing Paediatric and Adolescent Diabetes Special Interest Group
You may have heard about changes underfoot within the RCN regarding practice sectors, forums and special interest groups. RCN members can currently join up to three RCN forums, or their subgroups, as part of their membership.

There is concern that forums and their subgroups may be abolished and will be replaced by alternatives such as ‘virtual communities’. It may be useful to know how many members there are of the child and adolescent diabetes subgroup (code number 1190) in relation to deciding its future. The committee would like to remind you to check these details when you renew your subscription, or by visiting www.rcn.org.uk.

Further information relating to our group and an update on these changes will be given at the Annual General Meeting during our conference, 23–24 November 2007, at the Marriott South Hotel, Liverpool. Details can be found under forums of the Children’s and Young People Zone at the RCN website.

Rebecca Thompson, Chair – Children and Adolescent Diabetes Nurses Subgroup; and Marie Marshall, Publicity Officer

Diabetes UK
Feet first
A new survey has revealed that painful diabetic neuropathy affects up to a quarter of people with diabetes. The condition, which most commonly affects the feet, can be a sign that diabetes is not being controlled effectively. To help people recognise the symptoms of the problem, Diabetes UK has assisted in producing a patient leaflet about neuropathic pain. 

The leaflet is available for healthcare professionals. To order your copies, please call the neuropathic pain leaflet hotline on 020 7031 4362.

Measure up
Diabetes UK’s biggest awareness-raising campaign is back and bigger than ever. Measure Up aims to improve awareness, prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes among high-risk groups, including the estimated 750000 people who have the condition but do not yet know it.

Measure Up will also target healthcare professionals to ensure that type 2 diabetes is at the forefront of the minds of those on the front line. Early identification is key to helping the 50% of people with type 2 diabetes who already show signs of complications at diagnosis.

Diabetes UK has sent Measure Up information to DSNs and practice nurses. If you have not yet received the information sheet or the poster that lets patients know about the campaign, or if you would like to order extra copies, please call Diabetes UK’s distribution team on 0800 585 088 and quote reference NJ07. Measure Up leaflets are available in English, Welsh, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu.

In addition, building on the success of last year’s campaign, 2007 sees the return of the Measure Up roadshow that will visit 20 locations across the UK. The roadshow, which starts in Southampton on Wednesday 29 August, will provide information, screening and advice to anyone who wants to find out more.

For more information about Measure Up and the roadshow visit www.diabetes.org.uk/measureup.

Sex and diabetes
Did you know that approximately 25% of women and 50% of men with diabetes will experience sexual problems as a result of their condition?

Diabetes UK is launching a new section of its website called Sex and Diabetes, which will offer information and support for people with diabetes affected by male and female sexual dysfunction.

The section will be aimed at both patients and healthcare professionals. The hope is that research, real-life stories and information about treatment will encourage people to talk more about this often taboo subject. The section also offers an invaluable checklist designed to help healthcare professionals encourage patients to talk about any sexual problems they may be experiencing. Visit www.diabetes.org.uk/sexanddiabetes from Tuesday 7 August to find out more.

Cathy Moulton, Care Advisor

National Diabetes Support Team
Diabetes prevention, and children and young people are the focus of two new documents recently published by the National Diabetes Support Team (NDST).

A guide for diabetes networks that want to tackle prevention of the condition has been created as a supplement to Beyond Boundaries: A Guide to Diabetes Networks. The new publication, Prevention of Type 2 diabetes: role of diabetes networks, contains sections on:

• national context
• taking a holistic approach to primary prevention
• healthy eating
• increasing physical activity
• populations at increased risk
• actions for local diabetes networks.

The guide can be found on the breaking news section of the NDST website: www.diabetes.nhs.uk (accessed 23.07.2007).

The management of diabetes in children and young people is significantly different than for adults. With the increase in diabetes in this group, it is essential that effective targeted services are provided. A new factsheet has been put together to set out the elements of good diabetes care in children, summarising the key points from the DoH’s recent Making every young person with diabetes matter: Report of the children and young people with diabetes working group. It contains sections on prevalence; current provision; current policy; commissioning; provision of services and organisation of care; workforce planning and development; and service design. Download the factsheet from: www.diabetes.nhs.uk/reading-room/factsheets (accessed 23.07.2007).

Last month, the Year of Care project was inundated with applications from trusts wanting to take part in a pilot project. More than 20 applications were received. The Year of Care describes all the planned care that a person with diabetes should expect to receive, usually over the course of a year. The project will test how care planning involving genuine choice and individualised care can be used to empower people with diabetes, enhance self management and improve health outcomes. The successful applicants will be named very soon and details will be available on the NDST website.

Sally Brooks, NDST

The Insulin Dependent Diabetes Trust
The Insulin Dependent Diabetes Trust (IDDT) offers support, information and understanding to people with diabetes and their families. IDDT formed in 1994 and is a registered charity. It is funded entirely by voluntary donations in order to remain independent and uninfluenced by any outside sources of funding. 

All the trustees have diabetes. Therefore, they understand many of the day-to-day difficulties of the condition and how, if one family member has diabetes, it affects everyone in the family to some extent. 

As part of an international humanitarian aid programme, IDDT collects unwanted, in-date insulin, blood glucose test strips and other diabetes supplies to send to developing countries where both adults and children with diabetes die from the lack of affordable insulin. We also run a sponsor a child scheme to help children in India where the cost of their medical needs is £17 per month – often more than half their family’s annual income. Thanks to the help of our members, we now support 30 children at the Dream Trust Clinic in Nagpur, Central India.

We are only too aware that diabetes can cause serious long-term complications and, sadly, a cure is still elusive so research is essential. IDDT supports research investigating ways of trying to prevent complications and improve the day-to-day lives of people with diabetes.

Membership of IDDT is free although donations are welcome. The Trust publishes a quarterly newsletter and a range of free information leaflets on the many aspects of diabetes. In order to try to meet the needs of parents of children with diabetes, we have developed information packs for parents and teachers to help them to better understand the needs of children with diabetes in school.

Jenny Hirst

For further information or to join the IDDT, please contact:
Insulin Dependent Diabetes Trust
PO Box 294, Northampton NNI 4XS
Telephone: 01604 622837 
Email: [email protected]  
Website: www.iddtinternational.org