A survey of diabetes care in general practice in Northern Ireland.

We aimed to describe some key features of diabetes care carried out in primary care settings in Northern Ireland using a descriptive postal questionnaire survey sent to every general practice in Northern Ireland. 252 (70%) of practices responded. Of these 92% of practices have active registers of people with diabetes, identifying 1.9% of their population as having diabetes and 85% of practices use these registers for call/recall visits. Seventy five per cent of practices held diabetes clinics run by the general practitioner and nurse (63%) or a nurse alone (32%). Only 47% of practices felt they received adequate support from the acute diabetes team; with 29% meeting with them this team regularly and only 19% having a shared care protocol. Overall practices provided most of the routine care for 60% of their diabetic patients. The majority of GPs and practice nurses had received some diabetes education in the previous year. There has been a considerable change in the delivery of routine diabetes care in Northern Ireland. A large proportion of diabetes care now takes place in the community, much of it delivered by practice nurses. The organisational infrastructure necessary for the delivery of care is in place. Many practices have special interest in diabetes but the survey highlights a need for better communication and cooperation with secondary care. General practitioners recognise their educational needs in diabetes. They should also be aware of their practice nurses' needs, which should be addressed. There should be initiatives to improve the primary-secondary care interface in Northern Ireland.