Paediatric Diabetes – Working Together for the Best Outcomes: Managing Disagreements or Conflict

Paediatric Diabetes – Working Together for the Best Outcomes: Managing Disagreements or Conflict

As we have summarised in our mission statement, the Worcestershire Diabetes Team aims to work together with you, your child and the other important people in their life, to maximise their health and wellbeing. We understand there are times when not everyone agrees on the best way forwards. Below are some common experiences and possible ways of working through these. We also include further details of the support you can expect from the team.

Reminders or ‘nagging’?
Sometimes despite adults’ best intentions, young people can feel that they are being ‘nagged’ about diabetes care. This is quite a common experience. Ways of approaching this will very much depend on the age and developmental stage of your child as well as their level of diabetes knowledge and independence in carrying out good diabetes care. It can be useful to talk through expectations as a family as not only may these differ between young people and their parents, but adults in the family may also have different points of view since many factors affect our expectations.

It can sometimes help to talk to the Paediatric Diabetes Team about what level of diabetes management might be typical at your child’s age and what might be a good level to aim for given your own situation.

Where possible, using ‘external’ reminders such as checklists or phone alerts can be helpful and encourage independence, but it is also good to know that even during the teenage years, there may be times when young people appreciate a bit more help and support with their diabetes. The team, including the psychologists, are available if you would like to discuss this in any more detail.

Relate has lots of useful information on their website around ‘how to talk to your teen’ and ‘dealing with arguments’:

https://www.relate.org.uk/relationship-help/help-family-life-and-parenting/parenting-teenagers

Communication
Excellent communication between family members (whether parents are living together or separated) as well as with the Diabetes Team can make a big difference to diabetes care and outcomes. We appreciate, that as mentioned above, people will have different views and expectations and sometimes disagreements are often inevitable. However, we know that your child’s wellbeing is the main concern of everyone involved. We understand that some parents who have separated may find it challenging to communicate with one another, agree on things and work together but we know that finding a way to do this produces the best possible outcomes for your child. Evidence suggests that children do better when their parents collaborate, communicate regularly, and offer consistent rules across homes.

Some families find written forms of communication can be helpful as well as explicit agreements on what will and will not need to be shared between parents. Factors such as how much time a child spends in each person’s care may play a role.

As a team, it is helpful for us to meet both parents. If both parents have parental responsibility or there is consent from both parents, we are happy to share any clinic letters with parents who do not live together. Please do let us know if there are more than one address letters should be sent to. With regards to meetings including school meetings and clinic appointments, we would not be able to accommodate separate meetings unless there are exceptional circumstances due to the number of children we provide care to and time constraints. Similarly, for telephone advice or home visits, we would require parents to be able to share the information discussed with one another themselves, so that their child’s care can be safe and effective.

Again, if you are finding that communication between family members is impacting on diabetes care, please do let the team know so we can consider how best to support you.

Further information and advice can be found on the following websites:

https://www.relate.org.uk/relationship-help/help-family-life-and-parenting/parenting-teenagers/family-issues/

https://www.familylives.org.uk/

https://youngminds.org.uk/find-help/for-parents/parents-guide-to-support-a-z/parents-guide-to-support-divorce-or-separation/

If your symptoms or condition worsens, or if you are concerned about anything, please call your GP, 111, or 999.

Patient Experience
We know that being admitted to hospital can be a difficult and unsettling time for you and your loved ones. If you have any questions or concerns, please do speak with a member of staff on the ward or in the relevant department who will do their best to answer your questions and reassure you. 

Feedback
Feedback is really important and useful to us – it can tell us where we are working well and where improvements can be made. There are lots of ways you can share your experience with us including completing our Friends and Family Test – cards are available and can be posted on all wards, departments and clinics at our hospitals. We value your comments and feedback and thank you for taking the time to share this with us.

Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)
If you have any concerns or questions about your care, we advise you to talk with the nurse in charge or the department manager in the first instance as they are best placed to answer any questions or resolve concerns quickly. If the relevant member of staff is unable to help resolve your concern, you can contact the PALS Team. We offer informal help, advice or support about any aspect of hospital services & experiences.

Our PALS team will liaise with the various departments in our hospitals on your behalf, if you feel unable to do so, to resolve your problems and where appropriate refer to outside help.

If you are still unhappy you can contact the Complaints Department, who can investigate your concerns. You can make a complaint orally, electronically or in writing and we can advise and guide you through the complaints procedure.

How to contact PALS:
Telephone Patient Services: 0300 123 1732 or via email at: [email protected]

Opening times:
The PALS telephone lines are open Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 4.00pm. Please be aware that you may need to leave a voicemail message, but we aim to return your call within one working day.

If you are unable to understand this leaflet, please communicate with a member of staff.

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