Working in partnership with diabetologists

Each person with diabetes is constantly managing their condition. However, they also need access to a comprehensive service that delivers across the whole care pathway, from diagnosis to management of complications. All parts of the health system have to work together to achieve this.

The traditional diabetes service delivery model has often been too rigid in distinguishing between the primary care provided in the community and the secondary care provided at a specialist facility after referral from primary care. Instead we should aim to integrate diabetes care where possible and refocus services around the person with diabetes. This means removing as many barriers as possible between different specialties and organisations and introducing an approach focussed on achieving good outcomes for individuals and value for the system.

The diabetologist plays a central role in the management of diabetes and influences the outcomes of specialist interventions in the eye clinic. In this video Dr Helen Partridge, a UK based consultant diabetologist, describes her role in supporting people living with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes to manage the disease.

As you watch the video, navigate the health management path someone with diabetes has to follow in your setting. Are there practical or innovative options, perhaps using new technology, that can be used to strengthen the connection between people with diabetes and eye clinics?