Transforming local care

Abstract

The prevalence of diabetes mellitus is steadily increasing in Western society, with obvious implications for costs to health-care providers. A project plan to transform local care has been established in Wales to enable diabetic patients to self-manage their disease by improving education and access to information and tests locally. The plan involves the establishment of local diabetes centres providing educational resources to the patients, carers and health professionals. It envisages that the local diabetes community centres will provide all aspects of diabetic care, from diagnosis to continuing management, with the aid of modern communications technology.