Desmond Day Today...

[Caroline]

and I am quite looking forward to it. It has only taken my doctor six years to send me on one. I am taking some leaflets with me and will report back to let you know how I got on.😉

Even if I don't learn anything new, I will meet other people in the same position as me and hopefully make a friend or two.😛

 

[Steff]

Caroline good luck on the course take all you can from it x

 

[cherrypie]

Have a good day and involve yourself.

 

[Northerner]

Hope you have a good day Caroline 🙂

 

[Caroline]

I had a good day in as much as I got to see some different people and the conversation was good. As the 'senior' diabetic there it didn't tell me anything I didn't already know.

There were supposed to be 12 of us. Six turned up, one went during the first break, but he didn't look happy. The next one went lunch time. The trainers did ask how we felt so I said having waied six years for my doctor to refer me to one of these courses I was quite annoyed people couldn't saty for the day. They mad notes of people comments.

I took along leaflets and left them for others to see, but otherwise they didn't know of anyother support for people.

 

[Northerner]

It is a shame that people won't make the effort to improve their knowledge and health Caroline I wonder if those who didn't turn up called in to cancel or just didn't turn up so making it impossible for the places to be given to others on the waiting list? Very disappointing. I bet those same people would be prepared to make the effort for other things in their lives.

 

[Copepod]

It's possible that the 6 who didn't turn up didn't actually know it was happening eg if letters were posted to old addresses. However, it would be better if staff phoned participants to get them on board - and confirm the contact details were correct. Then, if places were refused, they could be offered to others on waiting list.

I'd be a bit less harsh on people who turned up and left on day 1 - as you said, the one who left during first break didn't look happy, and he or a family member might have had a new diagnosis; similar might apply to the one who left at lunctime - or they might have had to collect a child from nursery etc.

 

[Caroline]

It's possible that the 6 who didn't turn up didn't actually know it was happening eg if letters were posted to old addresses. However, it would be better if staff phoned participants to get them on board - and confirm the contact details were correct. Then, if places were refused, they could be offered to others on waiting list.

I'd be a bit less harsh on people who turned up and left on day 1 - as you said, the one who left during first break didn't look happy, and he or a family member might have had a new diagnosis; similar might apply to the one who left at lunctime - or they might have had to collect a child from nursery etc.[/QUOTE

It's a difficult one I agree to know everyones circumstances. I was just annoyed because I want to learn and it had taken so long to get sent on any kind of patient education course by my doctor and I still had to take a days leave for it from work.

 

[sofaraway]

Shame about people leaving and not bothering to turn up, happens all the time though. In my area people get a letter offering different dates and locations and then phone to book themselves on. So everyone booked knows exactly when and where it is. People get a phone call 2-3 days before the course to confirm. Then they still don't turn up. There is plenty of knocking of the lack of education and people not being given the support to manage their diabetes. But all the blame does not lie solely with the NHS.

 

[Northerner]

Shame about people leaving and not bothering to turn up, happens all the time though. In my area people get a letter offering different dates and locations and then phone to book themselves on. So everyone booked knows exactly when and where it is. People get a phone call 2-3 days before the course to confirm. Then they still don't turn up. There is plenty of knocking of the lack of education and people not being given the support to manage their diabetes. But all the blame does not lie solely with the NHS.

Agreed. There's talk about the NHS charging people for missed appointments without notice of cancellation which I think is perfectly reasonable. If I miss a dentist appointment without cancelling with 24 hours notice I get charged ?20.