Diabetes
The diabetes team offer a dynamic and multifaceted service to people with a range of types of diabetes. We provide integrated care to support patients with type 1 diabetes, diabetic kidney disease, young adult diabetes, diabetic foot, complex type 2 diabetes, diabetes in pregnancy and patients using Insulin pumps. Clinics are held at Yeovil Hospital, Musgrove Park Hospital, Chard, Bridgwater, South Petherton, Wincanton, Yeatman and Minehead community hospitals. Antenatal diabetes clinics are held at Musgrove Park and Yeovil Hospital.
We work as part of a multidisciplinary team including diabetes doctors, diabetes specialist nurses, diabetes podiatrists, diabetes dietitians. We provide structured education for patients with type 1 diabetes (DAFNE courses), as well as training in the use of insulin pumps, continuous glucose monitoring and flash glucose monitoring.
MyWayDiabetes is an online self-management platform for people with diabetes in Somerset. The website has a host of information, educational resources and eLearning programmes. Patients with diabetes can register for secure access to their personal diabetes health records displayed via easy to understand dashboards.
Hybrid closed loop (HCL) system delay statement
Back in December we, like many of you, welcomed the news that the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) gave the NHS the green light to roll out hybrid closed loop (HCL) systems for people with type 1 diabetes.
We started this process and have been speaking to patients who would be eligible, offering them the opportunity to take up the new HCL system. However, in recent weeks, the timeline of the roll-out has been delayed and patients may be waiting longer than originally anticipated.
The HCL system roll-out is a five-year long programme, we would like to reassure you that we will continue to work towards rolling this out when we are able to.
We appreciate this will be disappointing for some of you who have been contacted already. Our teams are working hard to provide ongoing support and care while we wait for the HCL systems to become available.
Those patients already booked for a pump and or HCL will be contacted directly by their departments.
The following short video demonstrates MyWayDiabetes
Endocrinology
We provide a comprehensive service to people with all types of endocrine (hormonal) conditions. We care for patients with problems with the pituitary gland, thyroid, parathyroid glands, adrenal glands, ovaries and testes, and other less common conditions, such as endocrine tumour syndromes. Patients with lipid disorders are seen by Dr Bickerton at Yeovil Hospital.
We hold general endocrine clinics at Yeovil Hospital, Musgrove Park Hospital, Chard, Bridgwater, South Petherton, Wincanton and Yeatman community hospitals. Specialised clinics, including antenatal endocrine clinics, are held at Musgrove Park Hospital and Yeovil Hospital.
We perform complex endocrine investigations in our Medical Day Unit. We work closely with the regional pituitary, adrenal and thyroid MDTs. We have close links with our local endocrine surgeons. We also work with specialised endocrine surgeons in London, Bristol and Exeter. We work with the paediatric endocrinologists to support patients transition from paediatric to adult services. We are part of the Peninsula Endocrine Network.
Weight management
We are a specialised Tier 3 weight management centre, seeing 40-50 people a month. We offer a number of programmes focusing on lifestyle and dietary changes, medication and psychological support. All patients considering bariatric surgery are seen in our service as part of their assessment for suitability for surgery. It is important that patients are fully prepared for this life-changing procedure. We work closely with surgical team to ensure patients who go for surgery are fully prepared and risks are minimised.
We also see an increasing number of people with rarer conditions linked to obesity such as those with genetic causes, craniopharyngiomas and Prader-Willi syndrome.
We carry out detailed assessments to look for any conditions and factors linked to obesity. We tailor treatment plans to improve health by working at changes in lifestyle and making sure any other problems are treated as effectively as possible and are involved in clinical trials of new weight loss medications.
All weight management clinics are held at Musgrove Park Hospital. Our multidisciplinary team includes Consultants, Dietitians, Psychologists and our Specialist Nurse.