AUXILIARY nurses in Darlington are to be trained to administer insulin in an innovative project to help people with diabetes.
Nine staff will be given the skills to help the public as their roles in the town are expanded.
Community services manager for Darlington Primary Care Trust, Sue Lawrence, said the scheme was part of a move to develop the roles of the community nursing staff, which had seen them start to deliver services such as rehabilitation, wound dressing and palliative care.
"This is a new role for auxiliary nurses," she said.
"With special training they will be able to administer insulin using a Novapen device which delivers the correct dosage automatically. Many people with diabetes control it by injecting themselves. But the nurses will be able to step in if the people are old, frail, have poor dexterity or visual impairment."
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