Calls made for fully resourced Diabetes Integrated Practice Unit for Letterkenny

The HSE and Department of Health have been urged to explore the establishment of a Diabetes Integrated Practice Unit for Letterkenny University Hospital.

The calls come amid recent expansion of staff and services for diabetes patients in Donegal.

A meeting of the Regional Health Forum yesterday heard that the multidisciplinary team has been strengthened by the recruitment of an Advanced Nurse Practitioner (ANP) for Type 1 Diabetes in January, as well as four Consultant Lead Diabetes Clinics held each week in LUH. Capacity is expected to further increase with the anticipated appointment of an additional Consultant Endocrinologist to join the three consultants currently supporting the Diabetes Service.

To respond to rising demand, LUH has also expanded the Adult Insulin Pump Clinic provision from one to two sessions per month.

Fianna Fáil Councillor Ciaran Brogan, who sought an updated report on the service, questioned whether diabetes care could be organised at a more regional or local level, rather than relying solely on a national model.

Cllr Brogan argued that a more integrated regional approach could improve coordination, visibility of supports, and patient experience in Donegal.

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He praised the good work happening in Donegal and asked the HSE: “with all the multidisciplinary team meetings and all the advancements that are happening, is there any proposal nationally to have a more regionalised response as opposed to the national response?”

“If not, maybe it is something that we should be looking at,” Cllr Brogan added.

An Integrated Care (IC) Diabetes Service already operates across all four Community Health Networks in Donegal.

The matter also arose in the Dáil this week, where Donegal Deputy Charles Ward called on Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, to establish a fully resourced Diabetes Integrated Practice Unit for Letterkenny University Hospital.

The 100% Redress TD voiced his concerns regarding “unintended centralisation” within the six new HSE Health Regions, which were recently created by the HSE to deliver “safer, better care that is planned and funded in line with local and regional health needs”.

Deputy Ward stated that although he supports this aim, he is concerned about the unintended centralisation this might cause within the regions themselves. 

He said: “The North West region has too often been forced to fight over the same limited funding and resources, without any assessment of individual county needs. Letterkenny desperately needs its own Diabetes Integrated Practice Unit. Donegal exceeds the criteria to warrant its own Paediatric Endocrinologist and full team in Letterkenny hospital.”

The 100% Redress Party leader claimed that sharing resources with Sligo is not sufficient. “Both counties' needs, service demands, staffing shortages and patient demographics differ significantly,” he said, “Minister Carroll MacNeill recognised this and the need for individual consideration of each county when establishing surgical hubs.”

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Deputy Ward asked the Minister for Health to ensure that diabetes care in Donegal will be given the same separate and equal consideration. 

In response, Minister Carroll MacNeill said: “You're right. There's a very, very good hub, the Benbulbin hub in Sligo, dealing with diabetes, respiratory and cardiology, and of course what we want to see is that replicated in other parts of the country, such as Letterkenny, and that's what we're trying to do.”

She continued: “Of course you'll be aware that Letterkenny has the very excellent virtual community care centre, in the Errigal hub, which in providing leading services for people with COPD and other respiratory illnesses so there's a clear opportunity to build on that in the Errigal hub, just across the road from Letterkenny.”