A prison based nurse‐led specialist diabetes service for detained individuals

AbstractThis study aimed to examine whether providing a nurse-led specialist diabetes service within the prison setting can improve the management of diabetes by reducing HbA1c – thus reducing hospital admissions for hypoglycaemia and diabetic ketoacidosis and, in turn, reducing UK National Health Service costs. Monthly nurse-led clinics were carried out to review prisoners’ diabetes management and control.The study prospectively monitored the care of diabetic men serving a prison sentence in a large English prison during a 12-month period within a specialist nurse-led diabetes clinic, and compared the outcomes to the previous 12 months before the clinic was set up. The study subjects comprised 27 male prisoners – of whom 37% have type 1 diabetes and 63% have type 2 diabetes – all detained in one prison, HM Prison Risley, in the north west of England. Main outcome measures were: reduction in hospital and accident and emergency (AE reduction in the rate of failed attendance at hospital outpat...