Specialist Diabetes Service
NHS Tayside RefGuide
Warning
Service description
- The Diabetes & Endocrinology Department in NHS Tayside are a multi-disciplinary team comprising medical staff, specialist nurses, a specialist pharmacist and dietitians. We conduct in-person and virtual (Phone/Near ME) out-patient clinics.
- The service has a dedicated Diabetes Centre, integrated retinal screening service, access to a highly efficient clinical investigation unit in Ninewells Hospital with additional clinic facilities in Stracathro Hospital, Arbroath Hospital, Montrose Hospital, Whitehills Health and Community Care Centre and Perth Royal Infirmary.
- Current subspecialty diabetes clinics include; foot, renal, genetics, antenatal, technology and young adult/transition services.
- Along with general endocrinology there are clinics dedicated to; pituitary (medical and surgical), bone metabolism, gender and neuroendocrine tumours.
Useful resources
- The Tayside Diabetes MCN (Managed Clinical Network) has a handbook with all the latest guidance and links to essential guidelines/policies, along with healthcare professional section and patient information leaflets.
- The Society for Endocrinology has useful patient information leaflets and clinical information about managing different conditions.
Who to refer
- The diabetes referral system is not designed to review routine type 2 diabetes patients treated with oral agents unless there is a particular issue or complications which need assessed.
- The diabetes patients that need to be referred for secondary care review include:
- Type 1 diabetes
- Complex type 2 patients with complications
- Diabetic Foot clinic
- Pregnancy - joint antenatal diabetes care
- Insulin pump CSII/CGMS and new technology
- Transitional young adult
- Renal Clinic.
- If there is a diagnostic difficulty or particular reason why a Diabetes/Endocrine review would be helpful, then please utilise the 'advice request' function via SCI-Gateway referral.
Who not to refer
- See direct referral route for Type 2 Diabetes Prevention Plan (Oviva).
- See direct referral route to Tayside Adult Healthy Weight Service re interventions for achieving remission in Type 2 diabetes.
How to refer and priority
Emergency referral (discuss by page 5416 with on call team- Specialist Registrar/Consultant of the week 9am -5pm Mon-Friday):
- New Diagnosis Type 1 Diabetes, urgent same day reviews, potential admissions via AMU. More information about management of newly diagnosed diabetics with osmotic symptoms.
- Please be aware that the person carrying the page may well be in clinic – in person or telephone – so there may not be an immediate response.
Urgent or routine referral (SCI-Gateway referral listed under Diabetes or Endocrinology):
- Referrals will be actioned to either urgent/routine review in person, or triaged to phone/DSN review or written advice as appropriate.
- Please do not refer using typed paper letters. These can result in a significant delay to the patient being appointed and the referral cannot be viewed electronically at the time of the patient appointment.