Pathway recently led a 15-month (April 2023 – June 2024) Burdett Trust for Nursing funded collaborative project which examined ways to improve the nursing and allied health care of people experiencing homelessness with diabetes across the UK.
During the project nurses used quality improvement tools developed during the project to improve care.
For example, Rebekah Besford, Lead nurse for the Homeless Health Inclusion Team in Leeds (a Pathway team) undertook one of these audits.
The audit identified:
- Patient challenges in regard to diabetes management and accessing food
- Knowledge gaps in the team
- A lack of identification of Type 3c diabetes
- Patient views did not always match how professionals observed the patient’s understanding and management of diabetes to be
As a result of the audit:
- The team assessment document has been updated to include more of the nine key care processes
- Clinical members of the team have received training on completing diabetic foot checks in hospital
- A standard nutritional screening tool is being decided on and will be adopted
- Training will be provided for hostels on improving nutrition for those experiencing homelessness
Nurses involved in the project included Diabetes Nurse Rachael Scott, Pathway Team Lead Rebekah Besford, Outreach Nurse Angelique Denys, Inclusion Health Integration Lead Liz Keat, Advanced Podiatrist Nina Davies, and Specialist Podiatrist Lynda Dexter
These audit tools are not available freely for you to download below. They include:
- Homeless and inclusion health nurse and specialist diabetes nurse audit instructions
- A patient discussion form
- A quality improvement spreadsheet for inclusion health nurses
Additionally, Pathway would be very happy to hear about any work you undertake using these tools. You can reach out to us at info@pathway.org.uk