England
What are local diabetes planning groups?
Local diabetes planning groups can have lots of names, such as:
- local implementation teams or groups (LITs/ LIGs)
- diabetes strategy groups
- diabetes steering groups
- diabetes clinical governance support teams.
Whatever your local planning group happens to be called, they all have the same job:
- to deliver the ten-year plan to improve diabetes care – the National Service Framework (NSF) for Diabetes
- to ensure standards are met
- to organise diabetes services in your local area.
Doctors, nurses, podiatrists, dietitians, managers and people living with diabetes (called service user representatives) sit on such planning groups. The group can be just for one PCT but usually it covers two or three PCTs plus one or two hospitals that make up a Managed Diabetes Network (MDN).
In most places local diabetes planning groups have replaced Local Diabetes Service Advisory Groups (LDSAGs). The difference between LDSAGs and the new planning groups is that LDSAGs were advisory and generally did not have authority to make changes. In some places they worked well however, and had influence on how services were delivered.
Under the NSF, PCT boards should delegate responsibility to their diabetes planning group to improve services and ensure standards are met within the budget constraints.
But different areas are at different stages of development so your network may not be working to its full potential yet. Contact your local PCT for details of your local diabetes network, and press for a planning group to be set up if it hasn't already been established.