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How to Assess Structured Diabetes Education: An Improvement Toolkit for Commissioners and Local Diabetes Communities

  • Document type:
    Guidance
  • Author:
    Department of Health
  • Published date:
    9 August 2006
  • Primary audience:
    Professionals
  • Gateway reference:
    6536
  • Pages:
    56
  • Copyright holder:
    Crown

The provision of high quality structured diabetes education is a vital part of any diabetes service. Its importance is set out in the Diabetes National Service Framework (NSF) and reinforced by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence Health Technology Appraisal - Guidance on the use of Patient Education Models for Diabetes (NICE HTA No 60).

A ministerial funding directive was attached to the NICE HTA with effect from January 2006. This places a legal obligation upon Primary Care Trusts to implement the NICE recommendations. Compliance with NICE health technology appraisals is assessed by the Healthcare Commission as part of its annual health check under Core Standard C5 (a).

The report from the Patient Education Working Group, Structured Patient Education in Diabetes, set out key criteria that a structured education programme should meet to fulfil the NICE requirements. Following its publication, the Department of Health, the National Diabetes Support Team and Diabetes UK have worked in consultation with a number of stakeholders, including the Healthcare Commission, to produce two Structured Diabetes Education Improvement tools:

  • A Structured Education Programme Improvement Tool to help local service providers to assess whether the programmes they are delivering meet the NICE criteria and to identify gaps in current provision so that the programmes can be improved.
  • An Educator Improvement tool, to serve as an adaptable framework to enable diabetes educators to reflect on their current practice and enhance their skills.

The use of these tools is voluntary and will help to develop best practice in the delivery of diabetes structured education. There is currently no formal accreditation body in England to accredit national or local patient education programmes. However, service commissioners and diabetes networks can use these tools as a means of ensuring that education programmes are of high quality. 

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