Our team and services

My name is Haydn Sampson and I am a diabetes specialist nurse employed by Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust.

We provide care for patients with type 2 diabetes in community settings such as GP surgeries, health centres or we can visit you at home if you are housebound. Your GP may refer you once you meet our referral criteria.

Following referral by your GP, we will invite you to come for an appointment where we will assess your needs.  At your first appointment you will see a diabetes specialist nurse who will ask you questions to help you improve your diabetes control and or complications. This might include a medication review and they may arrange other appointments for you to see a diabetes dietitian and/or a diabetes podiatrist.

The diabetes dietitian will discuss the reasons for your referral and find out about your current nutrient intake by asking questions about what you like to eat and drink. They will discuss any questions you may have about diet and diabetes and talk about which foods increase blood glucose - and which do not – and how diet works with medications. They will also discuss weight loss or gain if this is an issue for you. Some people may want to learn how to count carbohydrates so they can match these with their medication or to ensure an even intake across the day. Others may prefer to discuss a tailored meal plan or want general information about diet and diabetes.

Having diabetes means that you are more likely to develop problems with your feet, including foot ulcers and infections from minor cuts and grazes. This is because high blood glucose can damage the nerves in your feet. So you will need to have your feet checked regularly by a diabetes podiatrist. Following diagnosis, you will have a foot examination at least annually. At this examination vascular and neurological tests will be undertaken. This is to detect if you are experiencing a restricted blood supply or have nerve damage which is causing pain and numbness. As with other long term conditions, it is important for people with diabetes to learn to self-care. So every appointment with a podiatrist will have time set aside for foot care education to teach you about general foot care, suitable footwear and advice on what to do in an emergency.