Group Description
The working group comprises psychologists and clinicians with an interest in improving all aspects of psychological care of patients with diabetes.
Aims and objectives
• To develop ways of helping health professionals enhance their communication and behaviour change skills.
• To develop ways of improving the diagnosis and management of psychological morbidity in patients with diabetes.
• To guide the development of psychological interventions to improve health status.
• To integrate psychologists into the diabetes team.
These aims are being tackled by work on two project areas (see below).
Current activity
1 A three day course “Doing Diabetes Better “ for health professionals working in diabetes care has been offered to all health boards in Scotland. This course aims to help clinicians understand behaviour change processes and develop skills which can encourage patients to change health related behaviours.
2 Funding has been acquired for a pilot project (PID / PAD – Psychologists in Diabetes / Psychologists and Diabetes) to employ 5 part-time psychologists in diabetes services across Scotland. Three half-time psychologists will be employed in adult services and 2 quarter-time psychologists will be employed in transition services. Further details are available at: THE PiD/PaD PROJECT
Future direction
To establish a network of psychologists and clinicians working in diabetes across Scotland and ensure that psychologists become integral members of the diabetes multi-disciplinary team.
Membership
Vicky Alexander (Paediatrician, Tayside)
Ann Gold (Diabetologist, Grampian – Chair)
Helen Griffiths (Clinical Psychologist, Lothian)
Andy Keen (Health Psychologist, Grampian)
Vivien Swanson (Health Psychologist, Forth Valley)