Your diabetes care during your hospital stay

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Coming into hospital

Please bring all your usual diabetes medications, monitoring equipment and hypo treatment.

In hospital

• Being in hospital can disrupt your diabetes. We are there to support you through this.
• If you need any support with your diabetes ask to be referred to the Inpatient Diabetes Team.
• You may have a review of or adjustment to your diabetes medications.
• Ward staff will check your glucose; you can check it too.
• If your health allows it, you may be able to self-manage your diabetes.
• You should have you feet checked within 24 hours of admission. Please let your nurse or doctor know if this has not happened.

Diabetes and diet

• Hospital food and mealtimes can be different to what you’re used to.
• Your ward will be able to provide you with food or snacks to help with your diabetes.
• If you carbohydrate count, ask the ward for the carbohydrate content of the hospital menu.

Diabetes and surgery

• We may need to adjust your medications to keep you safe for surgery.
• We will increase the frequency of glucose testing before, during, and after your surgery.
• You may be connected to an intravenous insulin pump for surgery.

Going Home

• You will be given a discharge summary which will document any changes to your medications.
• If needed we can give you a personal diabetes care plan on discharge.
• We can contact your usual diabetes care provider to update them about your hospital stay.