The GIRFT national report for diabetes (2020) outlined a series of measures to improve inpatient safety for people living with diabetes, including a recommendation for all trusts to have and promote a policy of self-administration, allowing patients who are willing and able to manage their own daily insulin intake wherever possible, and training for every healthcare professional who dispenses, prescribes or administers insulin, to help further reduce insulin errors in hospital. 

Since the report’s publication, GIRFT has been working to educate, support and enhance the profile of insulin safety across all areas of acute trusts, to help prevent unnecessary harm to patients. 

The new interactive poster will be shared to NHS colleagues later this month. It highlights the importance of insulin safety and outlines the initial findings of a GIRFT questionnaire, which collected data from 10 trusts and found that patients who are supported to self-administer and self-manage insulin (SAMI) feel more empowered to take control of their own diabetes during their admission. 

The poster also links to a GIRFT study recently published in Diabetes Medicine, which looked at changing trends and variation in service delivery for inpatient diabetes care in England. Findings showed that although 60% of hospitals had a self-management policy, patients are frequently not made aware of this and less than half were self-managing. Only 50% of all hospitals had mandatory training for staff on safe insulin use.   

Links are also provided to GIRFT resources which can support improvement:  

• The Community and District Nurse Insulin Programme (CADNIP) 

• Front door guidance for adults with diabetes 

• Guidance for introducing a diabetes safety board in NHS trusts
  

And to useful Health Services Safety Investigation Body (HSSIB) reports: 

• Insulin: supporting safe administration in inpatient settings 

• Insulin: supporting safe self-administration for patients in the community with a mental health problem 

Insulin Safety Week was established in 2018 to raise awareness of insulin safety within the healthcare community. Taking place from May 11 to 17, Insulin Safety Week 2026 will see diabetes teams across the country taking part in the event to raise awareness of hypoglycaemia and insulin safety.