Virtual College Supports World Diabetes Day - Thursday 14 November
Virtual College is urging as many people as possible to do a free online course from its Diabetes Safety Suite as part of its campaign 'Do a course save a life'.
Three years ago, the National Diabetes Inpatient Audit (NaDIA) highlighted the worrying scale of medication errors in inpatients in England; a total of 37% of inpatients with diabetes had experienced at least one medication error, and in the space of four years, three fatalities had occurred.
In response to this, the National Patient Safety Agency issued an alert, requiring all healthcare professionals who handle or administer insulin to undergo training. A partnership between Virtual College’s Healthcare e-Academy and NHS Diabetes created the first e-learning Safe Use of Insulin course.
Within 18 months of launching the course nearly 70,000 healthcare professionals from every NHS trust in the country had registered to take the Safe Use of Insulin training course which is free to anyone in England and those working for a health board in Scotland. To register visit www.healthcareea.co.uk.
Three years later and over 190,000 people are registered on the further developed Diabetes Safety Suite of courses: The Safe Use of Intravenous Insulin Infusions, The Safe Management of Hypoglycaemia, The Safe Use of Non-Insulin therapies and The Safe Use of Pen Devices, Pumps and Sharps all of which are free to anyone living in the UK.
Anna Morton, Former Director of NHS Diabetes, said of the online Safe Use of Insulin course “Administering insulin incorrectly can be fatal, so training those prescribing and administering it is vitally important.”
NHS Improving Quality is urging healthcare organisations to ensure all clinical staff undergo The Safe Use of Insulin e-learning module in a bid to save the lives of patients with diabetes. Similarly, Virtual College is encouraging non health-professionals who have Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes or who know of someone with diabetes to have a look at the courses and take those most relevant to them. To register for a course visit www.healthcareea.co.uk.
Virtual College’s Healthcare Marketing Executive Jo Jerome stated “The partnership between NHS Improving Quality, the body where the former NHS Diabetes now sits within the new NHS structure and Virtual College’s Healthcare e-Academy continues to develop new insulin safety courses. The Paediatric Diabetes Education Level 1 will be the next course to be released in the coming months.”
More information about The Insulin Safety Suite can be found at www.healthcareea.co.uk. or by calling 01943 885086.