Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Hospital schools can provide structure and learning for young people throughout a planned admission. With guidance, teachers can be a vital resource for assessing the numeracy and literacy skills essential in the management of diabetes. They can also provide a source of valuable pastoral and organisational expertise useful to the diabetes multidisciplinary team (MDT).

Method: School teaching, pastoral and planning skills can be used to help with the following:

• Co-produce an MDT timetable of appointments before the admission.

• Dyslexia and Dyscalculia screening to gauge whether young people have the necessary skills to understand carb counting, insulin ratios and correction doses.

• Send work requests to home schools and share information to ensure no child falls behind or is forgotten.

• Complete before and after questionnaires regarding diabetes knowledge to assess learning.

• Complete ‘All About Me’ forms gathering personal information such as family support, likes and dislikes, social and educational needs and dietary requirements that can be shared with the ward housekeeper.

• Help download useful technology such as Diasend and Freestyle libre, encouraging this regularly.

• Share observations from parents and young people with the MDT.

• Advise on Diabetes charities/on-line resources and provide guidance on applying for disability living allowances.

• Fund a mini library of useful Diabetes textbooks

• Provide information regarding social, education and information days local and wider

• Complete before/after and patient experience questionnaires.

• Explain Access Arrangements and Special Consideration for SATS, GCSES and A 'level examinations.

Results: We have an abundance of quotes and very positive graphical/pictorial data from clinical staff, young people and parents.

Conclusion: Every parent, young person and member of the MDT interviewed, deemed the hospital school a vital resource in providing structure, information and guidance during planned admissions. Their teaching expertise helps immensely in both the teaching and the assessment of learning. Hospital Schools can make admissions seem more planned, timetabling the week. They also introduce additional watchers, leading to more effective overall care, which can lead to shorter stays, reductions in emergency admissions and subsequent savings of hospital funds.