Endocrine Abstracts

Background: The Paediatric Diabetes pump service at UHDB saw a wait list time of three months expand to 18 months following Covid, staffing issues and the merging of services. A lack of equity in access to diabetes technology between the two sites was also an issue Additional funding was not available, so existing resources needed to be utilised effectively whilst also providing adequate training for all members of the MDT. Initial group starts highlighted difficulties in assessing understanding, the impact of mixing of ages, dominant personalities and education fatigue. They were not time effective for staff or patients.

Methods: Utilising the PDSA cycle, we have moved our existing pump start pathway from a single patient start over multiple days, to a group start of 10 patients/families/carers, finally delivering a 20 patient pump start in 1 day. Working through this process, we capitalized on feedback and experience, implementing a 6 workstation approach, allowing one to one delivery and assessment. We utilised external resources from the company representative.

Results: This format was well received by staff and service users. It allowed an individualised and structured approach. By achieving a large group start the waiting time reduced to 9 months from 18 months.

Conclusion: The workstation approach allowed a structured and safe environment for a large group of patients to complete their pump start. The embedded quality improvement approach within the team allowed for timely reviews and changes to be made to the pathway, meeting the increasing demand of diabetes technology.