Our diabetes teams treat and care for both adult and younger patients. Diabetes is a lifelong condition that causes a person's blood sugar level to become too high.
The two main types of diabetes are:
Type 1 diabetes – where the body's immune system attacks and destroys the cells that produce insulin.
Type 2 diabetes – where the body does not produce enough insulin, or the body's cells do not react to insulin.
To find out more, visit https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/diabetes.
Many of our services offer video calls as a more convenient way of having an appointment with one of our healthcare professionals. This reduces the need for you to attend the hospital physically.
If you have an appointment letter with a video appointment link and instructions, please read more on our Video appointments page.
We run the following outpatient clinics:
Mid Essex integrated diabetes service works in partnership with Provide to deliver an integrated care pathway.
The hospital-based component of the diabetes service provides highly specialist care for patients with both types of diabetes mellitus, for both outpatients and inpatients.
Outpatient clinics provide routine care for patients with type 1, type 2 and secondary diabetes, a diagnostic assessment for possible familial diabetes mellitus (MODY or mitochondrial diabetes), management of obesity and diabetes, and specific review of the control of macrovascular and microvascular risk factors.
We work closely with the department of dietetics, running a weekly clinic together to consider overall metabolic control in diabetes, dyslipidaemia, hypertension and renal disease.
Our team of diabetes specialist nurses provide inpatient support to all patients with diabetes. The services include:
If you are staying in one of our hospitals, please let staff know your of your diabetic needs.
We offer a specialist service for diabetes in children and young people aged 0-18 years within the local catchment areas.
Diabetic children benefit from a comprehensive service that includes paediatric consultants, children's diabetes nurse specialists, specialist dietician, podiatry, and access to the psychotherapy and counselling service. we acknowledge that children and young people with the help of their parents require a holistic (seamless/whole) approach to their care and education.
The team provides flexible age-related guidance, advice and support for you to manage your child or young person to live a normal healthy lifestyle. We encourage young people to develop independent management of their diabetes. Our education and support is ongoing throughout our involvement with you.
We maintain close links with the adult diabetes service and we support our young adults in the transitioning of their care.
We have an integrated service based in the acute hospital setting with on-going support and management conducted in the community (Provide).
The Children’s Diabetes Specialist Nurses are based at Wren House, Hedgerows Business Park, Colchester Road, Chelmsford, CM2 5PF.
The consultant paediatricians and dietitians are based in Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 7ET.
All children (0-18yrs) suspected of having diabetes mellitus should be referred by their family doctor on the same day to the paediatric registrar.
All children (0-16yrs) presenting in DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis) to the emergency department should be referred to the paediatric registrar and treatment initiated by following the DKA integrated care pathway (DKAICP).
During pregnancy, some women have such high levels of blood glucose that their body is unable to produce enough insulin to absorb it all. This is known as gestational diabetes.
We run joint antenatal/gestational clinics and hirsuitism polycystic ovarian syndrome clinics.
The joint diabetes and obstetric antenatal clinics are held in A404 at Broomfield Hospital.
The team works closely with the paediatric service to deliver transition care.
Diabetes specialist midwife can be bleeped on #6555 1490.
Referrals – all women with newly diagnosed gestational diabetes or newly pregnant women with existing Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes can be referred to us by calling 01245 516371.
We run specialist clinics to manage diabetes mellitus in pregnancy, transitional care of the adolescent and diabetic nephropathy. Pre-pregnancy counselling for diabetic patients is provided alongside our specialist diabetes midwife.
Referrals to the diabetes clinics should be made via the GP to the department for:
All children (0-18yrs) suspected of having diabetes mellitus should be referred by their family doctor on the same day to the paediatric registrar.
Referral for inpatient diabetes related foot-care is via the Ordercomms system or for toenail service (for patient who have extended admissions only) by fax to diabetes centre.
Outpatient referral via the community podiatry clinics depending on locality.
Care of the diabetic foot is provided alongside our vascular surgeons and the wound care team.
Endocrinology is a specialist medicine which involves the study of glands that secrete hormones and the effect they have on the body. Sub-specialties include thyroid; thyroid oncology; lipid disorder and metabolic medicine.
Diabetes, endocrinology and metabolism are based in the diabetes centre. Clinical services are provided by a team of consultants. Diabetes services are supported by our diabetes specialist nurses.
Basildon endocrinology – call 01268 524900 using extensions 8717 or 3502.
Broomfield diabetes centre – call 01245 516371.
Southend endocrinology - call 01702 385350.
We work closely with our Nutrition and dietetics teams to help patients with education in managing their diabetes effectively.
If you need the support of the team via outpatients, ask your GP to get in contact with the team to provide supportive information to you.
Our specialist nurses and dieticians run carbohydrate counting courses and supervise a local DAFNE programme for patients on intensive insulin regimes.
Diabetes specialist nurses – call 01268 524900 using extension 4817.
Call the Diabetes centre on 01245 516371. Located in C253, in West Wing 2.
Call the Diabetes centre on 0300 443 0112.