Children and young people diabetes
The diabetes specialist nursing team are a clinically-led service that provides care, advice and support for children and young people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes aged 0-19 years across Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin and North Powys
You are likely to meet the following people when using our service:
- Children and Young People Diabetes Specialist Nurses
- Support Worker
- Administrator
Our services
The following key services are offered by the diabetes specialist nursing team:
- Support to children and young people, their families and education settings across Shropshire and North Powys
- Frequent contact with the team. We will see you at home, at nursery/school/college and have a mixture of face to face, virtual (such as Attend Anywhere) and telephone contact.
- Education and skill development so children and young people can manage to live with the condition to the best of their ability
- Education and advice to professional and non-professional staff who care for children and young people with diabetes
- Structured education programmes
- Attendance the multi-disciplinary clinics at Royal Shrewsbury and Princess Royal hospitals
Transition
We use the Ready, Steady, Go framework to prepare young people for adulthood. We refer to this as transition. The transition process begins at age 13, and at approximately 16 years of age you are transferred to our transition service to complete the final stage of your preparation for transition to the adult service. This takes place between the ages of 18-19yrs.
During this time, we will work in partnership with you and your family to create your personal transition plan. This will be tailored to you to help you develop the knowledge and skills you need to keep healthy and well and will be an opportunity to talk about your health needs that may impact on your future.
New patients
New patients are referred into the services by another health care professional, i.e. GP or hospital based professional.
Existing patients
Existing service users can contact the service directly for help and support – they do not need further referral by a health professional.
Services we do not offer
We do not see children and young people who monitor their blood glucose levels for a condition that is not diabetes. Please speak to your hospital consultant if you have a question.
Frequently asked questions
- What to do if my pump fails?
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If your pump malfunctions or fails you will need to revert to insulin injections until you get a replacement pump.
Contact us
Opening hours
Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm (except bank holidays)
Contact us
Telephone: 01743450855 option 2
Text: 07312263102 (See disclaimer)
Community Children's Nursing Service Manager
Kate Medhurst
Where Are We
Paediatric Diabetes Nursing Team
Coral House
Longbow Close
Harlescott Lane
Shrewsbury
SY1 3GZ
Useful links
The following provide useful links to information for patients and carers:
Patient Information
Leaflets
- Activity Holidays
- Basal rate testing
- Diabetes clinics
- Diabetes Guide to Summer, Winter and Travel
- Exercise management
- Forgotten Insulin Injections
- High Glucose and Illness
- Hypoglycaemia
- Hypoglycaemia info for schools and nurseries
- Keeping your cardio vascular system health
- Keeping your eyes healthy
- Leaflet for families - PPS - V8
- Managing Type 1 Diabetes during activity holidays
- Oral Health
- Paediatric Team
- Pump failure
- Pump holiday
- Reducing High HbA1C
- Retinopathy leaflet
- School Supplies
- Sick day rules
- Smoking Leaflet
Disclaimer notices
- What if we are concerned about your safety?
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We may need to inform someone if we are concerned about your safety, but we would usually speak to you first. Your messages are stored and can be seen by other healthcare staff who follow the same confidentiality rules. We aim to reply to you within one working day. Messages left outside our normal working hours will receive an automated response letting you know when you will receive a reply, and who to contact to get immediate help. Our text number does not receive voice calls or MMS picture messages. We support messaging from UK mobile numbers only (which does not include messages sent from landlines, international mobile numbers and some ‘number masking’ mobile apps). If you want to stop receiving text messages from us please text STOP to our text number. Messages are charged at your usual rate.
Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) and our "Local Offer"
What is the Local Offer?
The local offer provides information for children and young people with special educational needs (SEND) and their parents or carers in a single place. You can find out more about information about this on our SEND reforms and Local Offers page.
Service Description
We serve the population of Shropshire and North Powys and provide care for all children and young people diagnosed with diabetes and their families. This care involves teaching skills and knowledge in the management of their condition and working in close partnership so that they can achieve the best possible outcomes for themselves as individuals.
We provide education, skills and knowledge to the child/young person and all involved in their daily lives to enable them to gain independence in self-managing their condition. This is continuous from diagnosis to the time they leave paediatric care as adults at age 19. Our services are inclusive and are age and development tailored.
What do you provide to children and young people with an additional need and or disability 0-25yrs?
We provide services as above to all children and young people aged 0-19 years.
Do you provide support for parents and carers?
Yes, as diabetes affects the whole family in all aspects of the child’s life including schools, colleges and residential care homes
Who can use our service? Age? Disability?
Children and young people with a diagnosis of diabetes (both Type 1 and Type 2) who are resident in Shropshire and North Powys, aged 0-19 years.
Once a diagnosis of diabetes has been made, there is open access to our service.
How to access our service (inc. referral routes)
Referrals are immediate at the time of diagnosis via local secondary care providers. Alternatively when children with pre-existing diabetes move into the area either with their families or into boarding schools or are placed in the county as a looked after child.
There is no cost for the service, the referral system is via the diabetes consultants in secondary care or General Practitioner.
When and where is our service available?
Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm except Public Holidays
Services are delivered in the child/young person's own home or usual place of residence, nurseries, pre-schools, school, college, holiday and after-school clubs.
We also see children and young people when they attend their hospital clinics
In-reach into secondary care settings to provide training to the staff (doctors, nurses).
As a team we are based at Coral House in Shrewsbury but cover the whole of Shropshire and North Powys. Standard service delivery across the county.
How to find out about the service
Website, GP practice, any health or social care professional.
Introduced at diagnosis or at initial out-patient appointment on arrival into the county. Boarding school or patient’s previous Paediatric Diabetes Specialist Nurse will also refer into our service
How can families contact the service?
Children, young people, their families and others who may be supporting them have our telephone number 01743 450 855 option 2, our e-mail address and have 24 hour access to the Paediatric ward at Telford Hospitals.
For external agencies: is the service free or charged?
External training is provided to support workers and providers pertaining to the individual child or young person
Is the service accredited? If so, by whom?
No
How can families complain if they are not happy with the service?
All complaints are handled by our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) and Complaints teams.