To support appropriate and timely referrals, the Diabetes Team would like to remind colleagues of the Inpatient Diabetes Team referral criteria for weekdays and weekends. This includes what should be considered as an urgent referral versus a routine referral. You can see more below in the table and the full referral guidelines are on the team's intranet page.

The team provides outpatient clinics alongside inpatient clinical work. Whilst they aim to review all referrals promptly, prioritisation is based on clinical urgency. Clear documentation of the reason for referral and urgency will help them deliver the safest and most effective care.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

WEEKDAY REFERRAL CRITERIA

WEEKEND REFERRAL CRITERIA

Urgent referrals:

Please refer urgently for:

  • Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA)
  • Hyperosmolar hyperglycaemic state (HHS)
  • Recurrent or severe hypoglycaemia
  • Newly diagnosed Type 1 diabetes
  • Marked hyperglycaemia with ketonaemia
  • Insulin pump or continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) issues impacting inpatient care 

Urgent referrals:

  • Diabetes education required to facilitate timely discharge over the weekend (e.g. insulin administration and blood glucose monitoring training).
  • Patients at risk of harm directly relating to glucose levels (DKA, HHS, Hypos) due to the lack of a glycaemic management plan.

  *Referrals outside above criteria (routine) will be dealt with on the following Monday.

** Any referrals received after 12:00 will not be actioned until the following day.

Routine referrals

Routine referrals are appropriate for:

  • Marked hyperglycaemia without ketonaemia
  • Optimisation of insulin or oral diabetes therapy (where there is no diabetes care plan in place)
  • Education needs (e.g. insulin initiation, sick day rules)

* Any referrals received after 15:00 will not be actioned until the following working day.