With Diabetes Week running from 12-18 June, we took the opportunity to have a chat with one of NELFT’s Essex diabetes teams, based at Craylands Clinic in Basildon, to find out about the service.

The Diabetes Care Centre, Basildon has around 8,000 patients all of whom are offered one-to-one care in the clinic, at home or by visiting schools. The team, working alongside three consultants based at Basildon Hospital, place the utmost importance in patient experience, ensuring consistency by providing the same healthcare professional for each one of their appointments.

Some of the key tasks the team undertake include:

• Education sessions in understanding diabetes
• Pump training (for those monitoring their diabetes and self-medicating)
• Visiting hospitals to help adolescents transition to adult care
• Helping women plan ahead prior to pregnancy
• Twelve one-to-one sessions a year for every patient - to monitor their care
• Maintaining a text messaging service to keep patients up to date

The patients describe the service provided as being ‘very comfortable’ and are left feeling that they have learnt a lot about diabetes self-care management. Many have taken part in SWEET (south west Essex education and training) courses which, since being introduced, have seen an uptake of 240 new patients being provided with the tools to empower them to manage their own diabetes care.

Thank you to all the team at Craylands Clinic, if you want to know more about the diabetes team visit their page on the NELFT website: http://www.nelft.nhs.uk/services-bsbwtk-adult-diabetes

Follow NELFT on Twitter at https://twitter.com/NELFT where you can keep up to date with NELFT’s activities during Diabetes Week.