EVENT: Hypo Awareness Week 2020

The Leicester Diabetes Centre (LDC) will be taking part in Hypo Awareness Week, 5 – 11 October

LDC will join forces with healthcare professionals across the country to raise awareness of a short-term complication of diabetes in a national drive to improve staff knowledge and care.

Hypoglycaemia, also known as a hypo, takes place when the blood glucose levels of people with diabetes drop too low. They can feel shaky, unwell and, in extreme cases, can slip into a coma.

According to results from the 2017 National Diabetes Inpatient Audit(1), around one in six hospital beds are occupied by a person with diabetes.

Professor Gerry Rayman, the national clinical lead for the audit, has said that since 2010 there has been a 30 per cent reduction in severe hypoglycaemia in hospitals, with Hypo Awareness Week helping to raise awareness annually since 2012(2).

However, almost one in five in-patients with diabetes experience hypoglycaemia during their hospital stay(3).

The annual campaign aims to raise awareness of hypoglycaemia in the UK by educating healthcare professionals about the short-term complications of diabetes.

LDC resources are available below and the full resources pack for Hypo Awareness Week can be downloaded here.

MyDiabetes is a useful resource with helpful information for people living with diabetes.

ITS Inpatient Diabetes Training and Support

Inpatient Diabetes Training and Support (ITS) forms the basis for a blended inpatient diabetes educational tool which includes a web based educational resource (including links to educational material and guidance) and short educational animated videos based on real scenarios. This web portal can also serve as a standalone platform for quick access to guidance, educational videos and top tips for reference.  

Access ITS here

EDEN a comprehensive training and skills assessment programme for healthcare professionals

With a sustained and successful track record in Leicester over many years, EDEN prides itself on delivering excellent education, locally, nationally and internationally.

Supporting education for Primary & Secondary Care, Charitable/Voluntary Sectors, Commercial and Pharmaceutical, Care Homes, Mental Health. Delivering a range of programmes catered to GP’s, Practice Nurses, DSNs, HCAs, Community Workers, DNs, Pharmacists, Podiatrists, Trainees, Medical and Nursing.

Access EDEN Hypo eLearning and resources here

MyDESMOND the online version of the award winning DESMOND self-management diabetes education

MyDESMOND brings together the content and research evidence from the NICE approved face-to-face DESMOND self-management programmes into a portable interactive web-based platform to support people who are preventing or managing type 2 diabetes. All programmes use a variety of different formats, including short videos, articles and interactive activities on topics such as diet and lifestyle and hypoglycaemia. The MyDESMOND forums also maintain the sense of community you would usually get with face-to-face programmes.

Find out more about MyDESMOND

References

(1) NHS Digital, National Diabetes Inpatient Audit England and Wales, 2017, Full Report: Page 10. 2018. Web. 20 August. 2018.

(2) The Diabetes Times, Inpatient audit reveals no DSNs in quarter of hospitals. March 14, 2018. Web. 20 August. 2018.

(3) NHS Digital, National Diabetes Inpatient Audit England and Wales, 2017, Full Report: Page 18. 2018. Web. 20 August. 2018.