The Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI) has published new guidance for nurses and allied health professionals caring for people with diabetes who are experiencing homelessness.
The updated guidance includes testimonies from health professionals and patients who are homeless, alongside information on the symptoms for diabetes among those who are homeless, as well as those experiencing addiction issues or food insecurity.
It was produced following a 15-month collaborative project between the QNI and health inclusion charity Pathway, supported by funding from the Burdett Trust for Nursing.
As well as the new guidance, an e-learning course has also been produced for clinical practitioners and support workers, as well as a leaflet on eye health and ‘tools’ to support inclusion health and specialist diabetes practitioners to embark on their own quality improvement projects.
Sam Dorney-Smith, author of the QNI’s guidance, said: ‘People experiencing homelessness with diabetes face multiple challenges and are known to have very poor health outcomes.
‘This project has brought together expert patients, specialist diabetes and inclusion health nurses and other allied practitioners to develop insights on how care can be improved.’
She added: ‘The resulting training resources are designed to support a whole range of professionals – from specialist diabetes practitioners all the way through to homelessness outreach workers.
‘These resources are packed with tips to help improve care locally and to create better partnerships with patients and other services.’
