The Children's Diabetes Team offer nursing care, support and advice to children and young people of Salford who have been diagnosed with Diabetes.
Our work includes support at home and in nurseries, schools or college, clinics, telephone and email support.
We work as an integrated team with a specialist paediatric diabetes dietician, paediatric diabetes specialist nurses, consultant paediatrician and a clinical psychologist. We cover the area of Salford.
All of our clinics are held in the Paediatric Outpatients department at Pendleton Gateway. You will sometimes be asked to attend an education or group session that may be in a different venue but this would all be documented in any letters you receive.
We hold numerous clinics each week, and you may see different members of the team including nurses, dietician and consultant in your appointment slot.
- Wednesday AM
- Wednesday PM
- Friday AM – Face to face and virtual appointments
- Friday AM – Psychology clinic (Face to face and virtual appointments available)
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2nd Thursday of each month - Joint transition clinic for 17 year olds and older
We support children and young people who manage their diabetes using insulin injections and insulin pumps. We also offer CGM (continuous glucose monitoring) and Hybrid closed loop technology in line with both national and local funding criteria.
When you meet with the diabetes team for the very first time, we will provide you with all the information you need. A new diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes can feel very scary, but we are here to support you.
While you are on the PANDA unit, the staff will help you to learn about diabetes and they will teach you what to do. The staff will refer you to the Diabetes Team and during the working week, one of the Diabetes nurses (PDSN) may visit you on the PANDA unit before you are discharged home. The Diabetes Nurse will continue to provide education and support to you once you have gone home, and will either call, visit or see you in clinic within a few days of discharge and continue to contact you weekly until you feel you are confident with daily demands of diabetes. You can also contact the diabetes team or the PANDA unit at any time for advice if you need to.
When you attend clinic, we need you to bring with you, your blood glucose meter and finger pricker, plus any glucose monitoring diary or Food diary you have been keeping. When you arrive, the clinic staff will check your child’s height, weight and blood pressure, and may perform a finger prick HbA1c check – this will feel no different to your child’s mealtime finger prick blood glucose checks.
Once a year, usually around the time of your child’s birthday, we will do our annual review screening which will involve a blood test from a vein, usually in your child’s arm, as well as a urine test, foot check, and wellbeing screening questionnaire. This is to screen for any complications that we know can be linked to diabetes, and ensure your child is staying fit and healthy. Once your child reaches 12 years of age, this will also include an annual eye screening appointment, usually at a specialist optician in the Salford area.
You must be referred to our service by the Hospital, your GP, or other health care professional. We accept referrals for children and young people up to the age of 18, who have been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, or children and young people up to the age of 16 who have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.
Information for Salford GPs
If you suspect a child or young person has Type 1 Diabetes, please contact the PANDA unit directly and arrange for immediate review on the unit. Do not delay blood tests as this could lead to DKA.
For any previously diagnosed patients that are new to the area, please refer via the choose and book system (now e-RS) into General Paediatrics. This will be picked up by the Paediatric Diabetes Consultant.
Current patients
Please ensure you have downloaded the Digibete app as all of our information, letters and documents can be accessed at any time on any mobile or tablet device. Please ask the team for our clinic code if you do not already have it.