As part of your ongoing care your diabetes healthcare team is there to support you to manage your diabetes. They will:
- provide continuity of care, ideally from the same doctors and nurses, or if this is not possible, doctors or nurses who are fully aware of your medical history and background and are experienced in diabetes
- work with you to continually review and update your care plan, including your diabetes management goals
- make sure that you understand and are involved in the decisions about your treatment or care. This means having access to your results with information about what they mean, so you can ask questions and make sure your personal goals are reflected in copies of any letters written about your diabetes
- ask you about how you are feeling and give you information about what emotional and psychological support is available to you locally
- if you need it, organise pre- and post-pregnancy advice together with your obstetric team
- encourage you to gain support from your friends, partner and/or relatives and from other people with diabetes
- provide you with ongoing education sessions, appointments and information on different ways you can learn about diabetes, for example websites, books, leaflets, support groups, courses and conferences
- offer you a review of your medicines, which may be via your pharmacist
- give you information on the effects of diabetes and treatments when you are ill or taking other medication
- give you information about how to dispose of your used sharps (insulin needles and/or blood glucose monitoring lancets) and local arrangements for collection of sharps disposal boxes
- help you access specialist services when you need them, for example specialist foot services.