Health & Primary Care

Biography

Dr Ana Pokrajac is a consultant at the West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust. She is Diabetes UK National Clinical Champion for her contributions to diabetes care (co-founded Herts Diabetes Education Charity).

Ana is West Herts and Herts Valley CCG lead for diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CKD). She has special interest in complex diabetes and health-care system performance. She teaches medical students and junior doctors.

Ana’s National roles include: Association of British Clinical Diabetologists committee member, ABCD-Renal Association national guidelines-writing group and All Party Parliamentary Group for Diabetes.

Abstract

Hertfordshire has a 1.2 million NHS-registered population, 47,000 of them have diabetes. The model of care aims to provide 70% of care in primary care (General Practitioners (GPs)), 20% in intermediate care (Diabetes Nurse Specialists (DSNs)) and 10% in secondary (Consultants Diabetologists). The service is commissioned by 2 Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) for 10 localities and provided by: 130 GP practices, 2 Acute Trusts and 1 Community Trust. There are 6 different IT systems used to record encounters with patients. The providers are guided by National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) standards, but the quality of diabetes care is only measured by Quality Framework (QoF) points applicable to GP practices and by national diabetes audits of secondary care.

In 2013, we established an educational and networking event for all stakeholders in diabetes in Hertfordshire (patients, practice nurses, GPs, DSNs, podiatrists, dieticians, pharmacists, commissioners and consultants) to enable exchange of knowledge and experience and help standardisation of care. The Annual Hertfordshire Diabetes Conference has 2 keynote speakers, testimonials from patients, 6 workshops for the front-line staff and a lively debate on controversies in diabetes. The formal feedback has demonstrated >98% satisfaction 4 years in the row. The Conference has grown into Herts Diabetes Education Charity that is endorsed for Innovation by Diabetes UK.

Hertfordshire Diabetes Education is a unique platform for all stakeholders in the County used to share experience, learn together and agree on objectives: patient-centred care, standardisation of care delivery and education for all providers interacting with patients.