Care initiative: A successful initiative which has improved the care of diabetic patients in the Dublin area is to cease due to funding difficulties.
The North Dublin Diabetes Shared Care (DiSC) project, introduced in 1999 as a pilot project involving the diabetes centre in Beaumount hospital and 30 general practices, will cease at the end of this month following the failure of the Northern Area Health Board to fund it. Started with the help of pharmaceutical company funding, the project finished its pilot phase in 2001. However, it has been continued on a voluntary basis by family doctors while they waited for public funding to be made available.
The Irish Times has learned that similar projects are being funded in the south inner city and the south east of Dublin. The withdrawal of the north Dublin service will mean that diabetic patients within the Eastern Regional Health Authority (ERHA) area are being treated on an inequitable basis. The projects guarantee a minimum of three check-ups annually for people with diabetes. The discontinuation of DiSC will also result in an influx of 720 patients to Beaumount hospital which already has a 12- to 14-month waiting list for diabetic services.
A research paper published in a recent edition of the International Journal of Family Practice described how significant improvements in diabetes care delivery were achieved by the DiSC initiative. There was a significant improvement in record keeping and the transfer of information on diabetic patients between general practices and the hospital. Although there was no demonstrable improvement in diabetes control during the 18-month period this probably reflects the short follow up time of the study, the authors say.
Dr Jim Kealy, a spokesman for the DiSC practices, confirmed they would cease participation in the project from the end of April. It is understood that the Northern Area Health Board has made a submission to the ERHA to have the service funded.