Grampian Diabetes Managed Clinical Network Newsletter July 2007

Welcome -April 2007Grampian Diabetes MCN Newsletter
Hello and Goodbye!
MeetOur new Clinical Lead –
Dr MarkHouliston
Mark is a full time GP working in Elgin who is currently Clinical Lead for the Diabetes MCN, and has had an interest in Diabetes for over 10 years.
Mark has sat on the MCN management committee since April 2003. He initially represented the interests of primary care and continues to see that community based teams with support from hospital based services will need to increasingly care for those people with diabetes.
This change needs to be introduced in a managed fashion in a way that is not seen to disadvantage any group. Additional resources must be put into the diabetes service. If successful this model will provide real benefits to those patients in the network and the providers of care.
As we say hello to Dr Mark Houliston, so we must unfortunately say farewell to Susan Pellegrom, who has led the Diabetes MCN Team since its inception. Susan is moving to a new job in Keith, which will mean much less travelling. Susan has been a very popular and much respected colleague and will be greatly missed by the MCN and the wider diabetes community in Grampian. We wish Susan every success in her new post.
MCN Office: 01224 555379
Grampian Diabetes Website –
/ *Latest News*
Grampian Diabetes Professional Conference 2007:
Following the success of last year’s Professional Conference, it was decided to run a similar event this year, on Wednesday, 2nd May 2007, at Thainstone House Hotel, Inverurie.
This year’s Conference featuredin particular Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes, and Diabetic Eye Disease, with lectures from Dr Deepak Garg, Dr Sam Philip and Dr Graeme Williams with Dr Alistair Emslie-Smith from Tayside rounding off the day with a look forward to communication in a digital age. Planning has begun for 2008!
Quality Improvement Scotland - Diabetes Review Visits 2007
QiS made a review visit to NHS Grampian on the 1st March to assess the Diabetes Service. We have had a preliminary report which was very favourable and would like to take this opportunity of thanking everyone who contributed to the visit.
Grampian Guidelines for the Management of Diabetes:
These Guidelines were last updated and reprinted in 2004 and are due for review this year. These are the bench-mark for care throughout primary and secondary care in Grampian. They are available in paper format and also electronically via the Grampian Diabetes Website.
We are hoping to update them with the help from colleagues in theIslands, who will adapt them for their areas.
Retinal Screening and SCI Network
The Diabetes Retinal Screening Service has recently implemented a new software package called Soarian which provides a direct link to SCI network. This new software facilitates the call/recall and grading software for Scotland. The new software allows a flow of data between SCI network and Soarian on a daily basis and provides the service with the patient’s most recent demographic information through the link SCI network has with general practice systems and the national CHI.
At the end of April most practice systems started communicating with SCI Network which has taken away the need for practices to manually refer patients to the service. If the appropriate data is entered, i.e. type of diabetes, type of care and date of diagnosis within GPASS, Vision or EMIS then an automatic referral takes place to the Retinal Screening Service.
After the patient has been screened within the Retinal Screening Service a copy of their images and results are placed on SCI network allowing practices to easily see the most recent status of their patients.
In the next couple of months the link with SCI Network and Soarian is to be improved to allow practices to see appointment details for patients, if the patient did not attend, details of Slit Lamp examinations to name but a few, which will improve communication flow between general practice and the service.
There is now a link to the SCI Diabetes Network on the NHSG Intranet, under GP Portal, Results.
Should you have any queries then please do not hesitate to e-mail me on / Local Diabetes Services Advisory Group (LDSAG):
This month we would like to highlight LDSAG, which usually meets twice a year. This group, chaired by Professor Norman Waugh, met on the 19th March, on one of the worst days of the winter weather, to discuss the way forward for the diabetes services in Grampian.
LDSAG is an interesting and lively group. Healthcare professionals from primary and secondary care meet, along with patient representatives from all walks of life, to discuss diabetes services in Grampian. The format is an introductory presentation to set the background and then a split into Workshops to discuss particular topics, reported back to the full meeting. The Workshop topics inMay were “The Effect of IT on Service delivery”, “The Patient Journey – How Smooth is it Really?” and “Obesity – The Role of the Diabetes Network in its Management”. This is not a talking shop – the discussions in this forum help shape Grampian diabetes services.
Exercise Classes - Update:
The exercise classes aimed specifically at people with diabetes and their partners/friends, are proving highly successful, with extra classes now in Aberdeen andfrom the 11th July, a new onein Peterhead. Why not ask your healthcare professional to refer you?
Monday – JJB Aberdeen Beach Boulevard– 7.00-8.30
Tuesday – Peter Nicol Centre - Westhill – 1.00-2.30 pm
Wednesday – JJB - 1.00-2.30
Also At Rescue Hall, Peterhead 2-3 pmThursday - Balgownie Community Centre – 1.00-2.30 pm
Friday - Inchgarth Community Centre – 11.00-12.30.
Why not try a Social Walk along Aberdeenbeach front 12.00-1.00 pmWednesdays? – “O, I do like to stroll along the prom, prom, prom….”