England's care homes urged to get behind diabetes research

The organisers of a groundbreaking diabetes survey are urging care home owners and managers to get behind their project, being eager to source vital information on current procedures and practice.

The aim of the survey, being carried out by The Institute of Diabetes in Older People (IDOP) and The Association of British Clinical Diabetologists (ABCD), is to ascertain how diagnosis and care for diabetes sufferers in residential care homes throughout England can be improved.

Leading the project, Professor Alan Sinclair, IDOP director and national clinical lead for diabetes in older people, comments on why the survey is of high importance to the care sector:

“According to our current research, the proportion of care home residents with diabetes has already approached 27%. Given this alarming statistic, we know that many care homes will wish to improve the ways in which care is organised and delivered for this large group of patients.

"Failure to do this will potentially lead to unnecessary suffering and even premature deaths in the future. This is a situation that can and must be addressed. The first stage is to understand as much as possible about the current levels of care and existing procedures, which is why our survey is so important. I urge all care home managers and owners to ensure that their homes participate in this vital process.”

So far the organisers have received under 2,000 surveys of the 17,500 sent out, leading to concerns that much of the residential care community are unaware that the challenge posed by diabetes is a pressing issue that needs strong forward-planning.

Care home managers and owners unable to locate their original forms can download a new copy from the IDOP website at the following url: http://www.instituteofdiabetes.org/care-home-diabetes-audit