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Hypoglycaemia symptoms include dizziness, nausea, confusion and loss of consciousness. It causes misery and loss of productivity which can also affect work and family life. In extremes it can cause cardiovascular events and even death.
The University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust (UHP) team have devised a joint working initiative with South Western Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust (SWAST) and Novo Nordisk to pilot a new way of proactively identifying people who have had hypoglycaemia events necessitating an ambulance call out.
The project, called HAIPO (Hypoglycaemia Assessment and Intervention for Positive Outcomes), is led by the UHP Diabetes and Endocrinology team and a two year grant to fund a band 6 secondment.
The aim is that the dedicated Band 6 Diabetes Specialist Nurse works in liaison with the ambulance teams, practices and emergency department staff to identify people with a severe hypoglycaemia event and conduct proactive clinical reviews, developing an action plan.
The team hope that the new pathway and proactive clinical reviews will reduce the recurrence of hypoglycaemia, improving the quality of life for people living with diabetes whilst also reducing the avoidable costs to the NHS system.
Patients will be triaged to the best format for clinical review: Clinic appointments, Phone/virtual appointments, Home visits. We are available for urgent referrals 8am to 4pm, 7 days per week. Referrals via email to: plh-tr.hyporeferrals@nhs.net
The project runs for two years as a proof of concept pilot and if successful could inform the systems across the NHS South West Region.
For more information, please follow the links below:
Joint Working Project Executive Summary
Plymouth HAIPO Project A5 clinic poster
Published: January 2022
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