Our diabetes team has been delivering wonderful diabetes care for over 30 years and is one of the largest paediatric team in the UK. We provide medical, dietetic, nursing and psychological support to the children and young people of Manchester and surrounding areas. We support our children, young people and families in achieving optimal blood glucose levels through blood glucose testing, carbohydrate counting, hypoglycaemia management, sick day rules, and exercise management. We aim to go above and beyond in making every child and young person with diabetes matter.
We hold consultant led clinics on a Wednesday evening (transition clinic for 17-19 year olds) and Friday morning (17 years and younger).
You will be invited to attend clinic to see your consultant every 3 months. These are held in clinic 3 in children’s outpatients on the ground floor. This is a multidisciplinary clinic which means you will always see your doctor but dietitians, psychologists and nurses are also available and may sit in on your clinic appointment.
There is also a nurse led clinic held twice weekly and nurse/dietitian education clinics held throughout the week.
Please make sure you bring your meter or pump to these appointments. In this clinic we will check:
- HbA1c, which lets you know how your diabetes blood glucose readings have been over the last 3 months.
- Weight and height
- Blood pressure
Annual review clinics
Once a year you will be invited to a Thursday afternoon appointment. It is slightly different to your other clinic appointments. Here you will meet with a nurse, dietitian and psychology, who will discuss with you your goals and targets for the coming year. We can also look at any problems you may have encountered or concerns you have for the future.
At this appointment you will have a
- blood test which checks for
- Thyroid function (an autoimmune condition more common in people with type 1 diabetes)
- Coeliac disease (an autoimmune condition more common in people with type 1 diabetes)
- Fats and cholesterol
- See podiatry (have your feet tickled) to ensure your feet are healthy and good foot care.
- First urine sample of the morning to monitor kidney function and identify any potential problems as early as possible
- Complete a psychosocial questionnaire to get a feel of how you are getting on with your diabetes on a day to day basis.
- We also discuss when your last eye screen and dental appointments were.
School and home visits are also completed at diagnosis and as required there on after. Where possible we aim to prevent hospital admissions and provide telephone support between 8am and 4pm.
Outside of these hours you can always call our general medical ward 75 0161 701 7500 or ward 85 on 0161 701 8500 for advice. The diabetes team provide 24 hour telephone support to the wards for more complex issues.