New Diabetes Service For Inpatients At St George's
Hospital estimates that one in every four inpatients has diabetes
A new service aimed at improving care for inpatients with diabetes has launched at St George’s Hospital.
The new service – led by Dr Ken Earle, Consultant Diabetologist, and Orleas Mullings, Lead Nurse for Diabetes and Endocrinology who are pictured below – will help ensure diabetes specialist nurses have dedicated time to provide expert support and advice to patients who are admitted with this condition.
It is estimated by the hospital that as many as one in four inpatients has diabetes at any one time. Providing effective care for their diabetes is crucial to their recovery, whatever the reason for their admission, and also helps ensure safe and efficient discharge.
The expansion of the service to help support inpatients has been made possible thanks to a successful bid for a share of the £8 million national investment in diabetes from NHS England.
Consultant Diabetologist, Dr Ken Earle says, “We have worked hard to provide a high quality service for diabetes outpatients, but our ability to support staff caring for in-patients with diabetes is a major plus for our service. We will be able to visit some patients on the wards but, more importantly, we can work with staff to improve their knowledge of managing diabetes, and the challenges that brings.
"Investment in the service is enabling us to employ three full-time specialist inpatient diabetes nurses – and they will help deliver diabetes education, support and management for patients and staff across the Trust."
Lead Nurse Orleas Mullins adds, ‘This is really exciting for us. As a team we feel we will be in a better position to balance the expert service we provide for the inpatient diabetes service.”
January 29, 2018