About our department
The Integrated Diabetes Service provide a range of services aimed at providing specialist treatment, advice and education for people with diabetes, their carers and other health professionals.
We are a specialist integrated team of consultants, doctors, diabetes nurses, podiatrists, dietician and healthcare assistants. Treatment is provided at community clinics, patients own homes and Tameside General Hospital wards including antenatal clinics. People with diabetes are referred to our service from their GP or other healthcare professional for specialist care.
- Our Consultants review and management of diabetes control taking into account a full holistic view and associated co-morbidities. This is provided in a community setting, ward round and also as an antenatal outpatient clinic.
- Our Diabetes Nurses also review and manage diabetes control. They are skilled in the most up to date diabetes medications and equipment. They can provide insulin starts and insulin pump advice. They also run a young persons clinic from Ashton Primary Care Centre for patients aged 18 to 25. They attend jointly with consultants to the antenatal outpatient clinic and will provide advice to wards, district nurses, care homes, GPs and other health professionals caring for patients with diabetes. As independent prescribers they can support and care for individuals with complex diabetes needs, offering patient centred care from a named nurse. They work closely with other health professionals to improve your care. They also provide: advice and support to people with newly diagnosed Type 1 diabetes; advice and support for people with diabetes with persistent hypoglycaemia or hyperglycaemia; support for people transferring to insulin or GLP1 therapy; specialist advice resources for other health professionals; health education to patients and their carers via programmes such as XPERT, Living with Diabetes and DAFNE; pre-conceptual/pre-pregnancy advisory service; and educational packages for other healthcare professionals.
- The High Risk Foot Team are HPC registered podiatrists providing specialist interventions for patients with complex foot ulcerations. This can include scalpel debridement, specialist dressings such as Larvae therapy or topical negative therapies. They also cast patients to provide pressure relief for foot ulcers or charcot neuroarthropathy treatment. They work with the vascular, orthopaedic and diabetes consultants and can facilitate rapid, direct access for patients with limb threatening infection or ulceration. Annual arterial screening service for people who have previously had a lower limb amputation, with the aim of reducing any risks to their remaining limb. Visit here for more information.
- Our Diabetes Specialist Dietitian is HPC registered with skills and experience in helping you to understand how your food and lifestyle choices influence your diabetes. Advice will be tailored specifically to you; the diabetes dietitan will always work with you to identify achievable goals. This dietary advice could include carbohydrate counting and insulin dose adjustment; as well as for during pregnancy.
- Our Healthcare Assistants support all clinicians at Ashton Primary Care. They are available to take bloods, blood pressure and general medical observations that may be required to aid a clinical decision. They can help the high risk foot team take dressings down and prepare the feet for the clinician. The healthcare assistants are also available to facilitate group education sessions.