The Scottish Diabetes Improvement Plan 2014

Abstract

Multiple initiatives are underway to optimise diabetes care in Scotland, led by the Scottish Diabetes Group. These include annual nationwide diabetes surveys, a campaign to increase awareness of signs and symptoms of type 1 diabetes in children ('4Ts'), and a Diabetes Improvement Plan, built around eight key priorities: prevention and early detection of diabetes and its complications; type 1 diabetes care; person-centred care; equality of access; supporting and developing staff; inpatient diabetes care; improving information; and innovation. There is a strong emphasis on empowerment of patients, training and education for staff and patients, and innovative use of data (including provision for healthcare professionals to access their patients’ data). Other work is aimed at reducing disparities in outcomes related to ethnicity or socieoeconomic status. Much remains to do, but the introduction of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion for more patients across NHS Scotland has been of benefit, with early indications that HbA1c might be decreasing slightly in those patients with type 1 diabetes in Scotland. These initiatives take place against a backdrop of an increasing prevalence of diabetes in Scotland, and we hope that these initiatives will build on previous frameworks to promote safe, effective person-centred care across NHS Scotland.