Interim findings of diabetes guidance for care home staff published

A national multidisciplinary group of diabetes experts who launched a new set of recommendations last year on how to manage diabetes in older adults in care homes has had its interim findings published.

The National Advisory Panel for Care Home Diabetes (NAPCHD) – which is chaired by Professor Alan Sinclair – has partnered with some of the industry’s top healthcare professionals to develop this national Strategic Document of Diabetes Care for Care Homes.

Diabetes UK, Trend Diabetes, Association of British Clinical Diabetologists (ABCD) and the Joint British Diabetes Societies (JBDS-IP) were also involved in the development of this document, which identified 49 new recommendations, five quick-wins, and seven conclusions.

According to the NAPCHD, the strategic document aims to generate sustainable diabetes care improvements in care homes that have a measurable effect on enhancing clinical outcomes, quality of life and wellbeing of all residents with diabetes.

Some of the major conclusions from the publication include:

• There is a need to enhance communication technology between key stakeholders involved in providing diabetes specialist care.
• There is a need to produce an agreed personalised care plan for each resident with diabetes.
• Diabetes education and training resources for care staff should be prioritised
• There is a need for greater support from national NHS and Social Care bodies to deliver this work.
• The need for more focused clinical and social care interventional research involving care homes is overdue and should be promoted.

The global COVID-19 pandemic had its epicentre in care homes and revealed shortfalls in diabetes care resulting in hospital admissions and considerable mortality and comorbid illness.

The NAPCHD hopes that this comprehensive document will help care home staff improve the diabetes care they provide to residents living with the condition.

To access the document, click here.