Community Diabetes Service

The ICDS team is led by a diabetes nurse consultant and includes diabetes specialist nurses and dietitians.

The team will be offering individual assessment clinics and group appointments at community health centres and GP surgeries ensuring greater ease of access to services, whilst maintaining the highest standards.

Read more about the symptoms and treatment for people with diabetes.

Services offered

The ICDS offers the following services for patients who have diabetes and want to improve their glucose control:

• Opportunity for joint diabetes specialist nurse and dietitian appointments.
• Telephone / e-mail and face to face follow up appointments.
• Group education at the time of diagnosis.
• Group education for people with established diabetes.
• Group or individual education for those who need to start or improve their ability to self-manage insulin or other injectable therapy.
• Group or individual education for those who need to learn to monitor their blood glucose.
• All referrals are seen and triaged by the diabetes specialist team.

How to be referred

Patients are unable to self-refer to the service however, as a patient in North and Central Bedfordshire your GP or other healthcare professional can refer you to the following parts of the Integrated Community Diabetes Service (ICDS).

• Individual appointments with the diabetes nurse consultant and/or dietitian to improve glucose control.

• DESMOND – an opportunity for newly diagnosed patients and those who have been diagnosed for more than two years to learn more about how to manage their condition.

• Group sessions with the diabetes specialist nurse and dietitian to start new treatments to improve glucose control.