Support in the West Gloucestershire area.

[t1robin]

Hi, I've just moved from Surrey to west Gloucestershire. In Surrey I was looked after by a Professor and his team at the Cedar Centre (a department in the Royal Surrey Hospital). They helped me with general diabetes management along with taking care of my eyes, kidneys and feet. Altogether they provide an excellent service.
I'm looking for a similar clinic / support team in this area. I asked my new GP about this and he sent me a link to the Diabetes UK website.
Is there anyone in this area that could offer some advice?
Thanks,
Robin

 

[Flower]

Hello @t1robin and welcome

I hope you’re settling in well in Gloucestershire. I also moved from Surrey to Gloucestershire about 15 years back.

There isn’t a one stop centre for all things diabetes. Both Gloucester and Cheltenham hospitals run diabetes clinics/ pump clinics led by a Consultant with DSNs & dietician. Routine eye screening is done at various locations in mobile units/opticians I think- not sure on this as I go to a retina clinic at hospital due to sight issues so I’m out of the normal screening programme. I presume feet are checked at the diabetes clinic but again not sure as I have problems so go to a high risk podiatry clinic. Kidney function is checked with blood/urine tests at the hospital clinic and also at a review with the GP (if you decide to have a GP review). I hope that helps.

 

[t1robin]

Thanks Flower, I'll have another chat with my GP and also see if the practice has any DSNs.

 

[trophywench]

A Diabetes Specialist Nurse requires an additional specialist nursing degree and in order to be eligible to study for the specialism and take and pass the exams, the person needs to spend the whole of their working time in that specialism. No GP nurse works 100% exclusively in any specialism, there are cancer specialist nurses, there are mental health specialist nurses and I dunno what other conditions it is possible to get the extra degree in.

Certainly one of the nurses at our GP surgery usually deals with the diabetics, but she also deals with the ones with other things, cos she does my toe tickling and all that jazz, plus my emphysema check, but husband's COPD check was done by a different nurse there.

However the treatment for my T1 is done by the hospital D clinic, not by the GP surgery except for the prescriptions, and they just prescribe what the clinic ask them to prescribe. Hence if I want to change anything much I have to ask the clinic team, which is fine because I can get hold of them far easier - and get far more sense out of them cos they know me and my diabetes far far better than the GP surgery.

Rarely had anything else wrong with me.

 

[Flower]

My diabetes care is provided at the hospital clinic but I also get an invitation for a chronic illness review every year at my gp surgery. I don't usually go as it is a duplication of all the tests I have done for the hospital clinic.