Accreditation programme improves diabetes inpatient care, consultant says
An accreditation programme aimed at strengthening adult inpatient diabetes services is helping hospitals raise standards of care, according to a leading diabetes consultant who has highlighted its growing impact across services.
Dr Daniel Flanagan, Consultant Physician and Endocrinologist at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, has revealed that the Diabetes Care Accreditation Programme improves the care of people with diabetes in hospital.
Created by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) Accreditation Unit and Diabetes UK, the Diabetes Care Accreditation Programme provides assurance that national standards for diabetes care in hospital are being met equally across hospitals in the UK.
Launched in May 2023, the programme aims to improve inpatient care for people living with diabetes, ensuring that all inpatient services are meeting excellent standards of care.
Dr Flanagan, also the Clinical Lead for the Diabetes Care Accreditation Programme, said: “We are at a very exciting point in the development of the accreditation programme.
“We are starting to see hospitals completing the work for level one. After so much work by the departments, it is great to see real improvements in the care of people with diabetes in hospital. I would strongly encourage other hospitals to sign up and start the journey with us.”
A spokesperson from the Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH) said: “The Diabetes Care Accreditation Programme has been extremely helpful in alerting the PRUH diabetes team to our strengths but also areas requiring improvement, in order to achieve our aim of providing gold-standard care to diabetes inpatients.
“The process is user-friendly and has been well supported by the Diabetes Care Accreditation Programme team who provided constructive feedback and advice on our service.
“The Diabetes Care Accreditation Programme has given our team a platform of motivation to continue to strive towards excellence and quality improvement.”
For more information about the Diabetes Care Accreditation Programme, click here.