Is the NHS best practice tariff for type 1 diabetes applicable in the Irish context?

The National Health Service in the UK has identified thirteen key standards of paediatric diabetes care. Funding depends on services meeting these standards. The aim of this study was to determine if these standards are applicable in an Irish setting. All patients attending the diabetes service during 2012 were included. Patient charts, electronic appointments, nursing notes and computerised results were used to ascertain relevant information for comparison with the NHS standards. Patients attended a mean 2.97 (SD 0.7) medical and 2.2 (SD 2.9) nursing appointments per year, with a median additional contacts of 8 nurse phone calls (range 0 - 125). Most standards were met by this service. In comparing our service to the NHS standard, we have identified a number of areas for improving our service provision. Limited resources and staff shortages make a number of these standards unachievable, namely annual dietetic review and three monthly outpatient appointments.