Seeing where the action really is: experiences of a specialist training post in primary care

Abstract

As the prevalence of diabetes, and the complexity of care increases, developing new models of care that cross the hospital boundary in to the community is of considerable importance. In order to improve training in community diabetes, and to help forge stronger links with primary care colleagues in Northumbria, this specialist training post was developed by the Health Education North-East Diabetes and Endocrinology training programme. This article describes the experience of the post, and the feedback gained from both the trainee and the healthcare professionals in primary care. This was a positive experience from a trainee and primary care perspective, promoting a better understanding for all of the challenges faced in both primary and secondary care, and facilitating supportive working relationships which ultimately should have a beneficial impact on patient care.