Bedfordshire Integrated Community Diabetes Service
The Bedfordshire Integrated Community Diabetes (ICDS) Service has the following aims:
- To provide a high standard of specialised care for individuals with diabetes and their families, from a multi-disciplinary team
- To provide a greater range of seamless diabetes services closer to patients’ homes
- To support and empower people with diabetes to manage their diabetes effectively
- To improve patient access to the diabetes services
- To improve communication and closer working with GPs and other community services
The ICDS team, supervised by a consultant diabetologist, includes diabetes specialist nurses and dietitians and a community support worker.
The team will be offering individual clinic and group appointments at community health centres and GP surgeries ensuring greater ease of access to services, whilst maintaining the highest standards.
The service will be provided by Luton and Dunstable University Hospital and Bedford Hospital.
This is an innovative and ground-breaking service with two general hospitals working together to provide one ‘unified’ service for the patients of NHS Bedfordshire.