Diabetes Education
Network (DEN)
Celebrating 10 years of DEN – Aims
and Achievements
Suzanne Lucas, DEN Steering Group
DEN Aims
 The Type 1 Education Network was set up at a
meeting in Bournemouth in May 2003 (30 people
representing 18 centres) with the following
objectives:
 To support centres in delivering high quality self-management
education for Type 1 diabetes.
 To support centres in accessing appropriate staff training.
 To enable centres to share best practice and learn from each
other.
 To develop common core content and evaluation criteria to
facilitate quality assurance.
Steering Group Aims
 In order to cater for the increasing interest in and membership of
the Network, a Steering group was set up in 2005. The group
initially met every 3-4 months to plan regional meetings, the
annual conference and to develop frameworks for curriculum
development and quality development processes. It now meets
twice a year.
 The steering group’s mission statement is to: “Support diabetes
teams in integrating structured education for children and adults with
diabetes in their service, by providing a framework for curriculum
development, educator training, quality assurance and audit which meets
the Department of Health criteria”.
DEN Achievements
 Developed structured self management education tools and skills via
documents and workshops
 Held regional meetings which supported the further development of
programmes using the tools developed
 Holds national conferences on structured education.
Achievements – meetings
 Meetings were held initially every six months; they included
smaller workshops as well as plenary sessions. The workshops
focused on goal setting, setting up a course, paediatric education
and audit.
 With the publication of the Structured Education Criteria a
national meeting was held in May 2006 where 80 people
attended a workshop in London to develop a philosophy for Type
1 education.
 In view of the growing number of participants, it was decided to
hold a series of regional meetings each year and an annual
national conference. The regional meetings focused on
Curriculum Development (November 2006) and Quality
Development (May/June 2007).
• Northern Ireland meeting (2007). Wales (2008).
Scotland (2008).
• National meeting on Structuring Diabetes Services to
Support Self-management (2009)
• The first national conference took place in November
2007 in Birmingham, at which the decision was made to
change the name of the network to the Diabetes
Education Network.
• Currently a National Conference is organised annually
supported by Roche Diabetes Care
Achievements – Web site
 The web site averages 400 hits per month
 Resources – Includes Philosophy, Curriculum development, Audit & QD,
Type 1 Diabetes Workbook, Insulin Pump Workbook
 Database of centres who provide structured education – 86 listed
 There are now about 550 healthcare professionals on the network database
http://www.diabetes-education.net
DEN Achievements
 Worked with QISMET to develop a system of formal certification for
diabetes structured education providers
Diabetes Self Management Education (DSME)
 The new QISMET Diabetes Self Management Quality Standard (14
November 2011)
 Exploring / developing generic and diabetes specific competencies
for self management educators
Diabetes Self Management Education (DSME)
The new QISMET Diabetes Self Management Quality Standard (14 November 2011)
Theme 1 – Leadership, management and organisation
Theme 3 - Educators
Requirements:
1. Recruitment of educators
1. Context
2. Training of educators
2. Leadership and management of programme provision
3. Programme information
4. Managing and monitoring access to programmes
5. Procedures and record keeping
6. Dealing with complaints
Theme 2 –The programme
3. Evaluation and appraisal of educators
Theme 4 - Performance management
1. Monitoring and audit
2. Outcomes, performance indicators and
improvement
1. Philosophy, core values and principles
2. Programme design
3. Programme development
4. Programme delivery
5. Conformity with licences or other relevant national requirements
6. Design, development and use of materials
http://qismet.org.uk/projects/diabetes-standard/
Acknowledgements
 Members past and present
 Steering Group Members
 Current: Dr Fiona Campbell; Dr David Cavan; Chris Cheyette; Dr
Trudi Deakin; Joan Everett; Dr Chris Kelly; Helen Loughnane; Suzanne
Lucas; Joan McDowell; Dr Jonathan Roland; Prof Jackie Sturt; Gavin
Terry; Dr Sherry Waldron; Lyndi Wiltshire
 Previous: Sue Cradock; Dr Sean Dineen; Dr Rob Dyer; Carole Gelder;
Sharon Martin; Clare Pesterfield; Helen Rogers; Carolin Taylor; Bridget
Turner