Outpatients
The unit is primarily a service for local patients but will take tertiary referrals and patients are accepted to the unit from anywhere in the UK.
Referrals from other hospitals must include a completed Inter-Provider Minimum Data Set| or ensure that one is sent within 48 hours of referring a patient.
The unit will accept patients with all forms of diabetes and any lipid or endocrine disorders. The following specialist clinics exist:
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Lipid clinic
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Endocrine clinic
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Combined renal/diabetes
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Combined vascular/diabetes
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Combined antenatal/diabetes
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Pre-pregnancy counselling for patients with diabetes
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Erectile dysfunction service
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DECS (diabetes eye complication screening service)
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Nurse led diabetes clinics
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Dietitian clinics
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Podiatry clinics
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Psychotherapy clinics
For pregnant women there are joint clinics run with women's services.
For patients with Type 1 diabetes there is a new continuous subcutaneous insulin pump service, together with a newly appointed diabetes specialist pump nurse, enabling the department to expand the service and offer the appropriate support to patients.
The department is currently working on developing nurse led clinics in both lipid and endocrine clinics. To support these new services and the diabetes nursing service, guidelines and patient group directions are being developed.
Inpatients
Inpatients with diabetes or endocrine problems can be referred to the medical teams on both sites (for St Thomas' bleep 2182, for Guy's bleep 0140). There is an on-call registrar (non-resident in the hospital) able to give advice and see urgent referrals for medical and nursing staff throughout the Trust, and to give advice to patients and GPs. The appropriate pager numbers can be obtained through switchboard. Guidelines exist for the management of Diabetic ketoacidosis and the management of the surgical patient with diabetes (to be available shortly).