As part of our ‘audit to action’ strategy for 2012/13, NHS Diabetes is tackling unacceptable variation in primary care by providing a wealth of information and data to areas of most need (those achieving below the average for CCGs with similar demographics) as well as an offer of face-to-face support, tailored to individual requirement.

Working across every region of England, our new team of Primary Care Quality Improvement Coordinators are here to support and encourage improvements in the quality of care for people with diabetes in primary care.

The team’s key workstreams are as follows:

• Introduce NHS Diabetes and the role of the PCQIC to all CCGs in their region, and encourage membership.
  
• Improve achievement of people with diabetes receiving all nine care processes.
  
• Encourage all CCGs to promote practices submitting to the National Diabetes Audit (NDA) and Diabetes E (web-based self-assessment).
  
• Raise awareness of our Classification of Diabetes (CoD) report in all CCGs and encourage implementation of its recommendations.
  
• Offer every CCG a primary care education programme to raise awareness of the benefits to practice and patient of improved delivery of diabetes services.
  
• Encourage all CCGs to prioritise the implementation of the ‘Putting Feet First Integrated Foot Care Pathway’.
  
• Support and help sustain regional diabetic footcare networks.
  
• Raise awareness in all CCGs of the importance of pre-conceptual counselling and support improvements in identifying and delivering pre-conceptual care.
  
• Share learning and good practice across CCGs.
  

Quality improvement may sound like a huge undertaking, but the principles and process can be applied to anything, from a small change in practice to a complete service redesign. Our Quality Improvement Resource provides prompts and practical guidance through the improvement process with links to supporting tools and case studies.

An improvement in the provision and adherence to the nine care processes will of course help to reduce the incidence of the devastating complications of diabetes, including cardiovascular disease, stroke, amputation and kidney disease (find out more about our sister organisation NHS Kidney Care).   

If you would like to take forward our offer of working with us, then please contact your regional Primary Care Quality Improvement Coordinator (contact details below).

^{(top row left to right) Trudi Akroyd (Head of Commissioning), Dr Roger Gadsby (Clinical lead for Commissioning), Leena Sevak (Footcare Lead), Mike Kemble (Y&H), Zoli Zambo (SC), Sabrina Brown (W Mids), Kate Mackay (NE), (bottom row left to right) Louise Browning (EoE), Angela Wilson (Lon), Shelina Jetha (SW), Kate Simpson (NW), Lisa Phillimore (SE), Carole Holland (E Mids)}

Contact your NHS Diabetes Primary Care Quality Improvement Coordinator: