Diabetes care in care home and residential settings

An increasing number of people require insulin to manage their diabetes, many of them in supported environments such as residential care homes. Community nursing teams are likely to have a growing caseload of care home residents who require diabetes care, including insulin injections, and many unregistered practitioners are being asked to take on this role. If community nurse leads, matrons, frailty teams and pharmacy teams work together to provide training to staff in care homes (particularly unregistered practitioners), diabetes care can be improved. This has to be suitable for groups and for people with different levels of understanding, and supported by written resources. Courses are interactive to engage and motivate all learners, and methods of teaching include group work, visual teaching aids and games. Self-assessment around competencies, using a competency framework, not only demonstrates the development of staff but also highlights key areas of diabetes care.