Using Lay Educators to deliver DESMOND
By Hannah Walters, Education and Research Facilitator.
Lay Educators, defined as educators who are not Healthcare Professionals (HCPs), have played a huge part in the delivery of DESMOND for a significant number of years. To date the DESMOND National Team has trained a total of 201 Lay Educators, with 100 of these Educators currently active in delivering DESMOND.
Based on research evidence.
Between 2008 and 2011, research was undertaken to evaluate the format of delivering diabetes self-management education (DESMOND), pairing a Lay Educator and an HCP Educator with both taking an equal role. The study consisted of two phases: a development phase involving the recruitment, selection, and training of Lay Educators and then the formal study phase.
The study showed that diabetes self-management education delivered by a trained Lay Educator and an HCP Educator can provide psychological and biomedical benefits to patients that are equivalent to those obtained by attending education delivered by two HCPs.
In DESMOND delivery today, Lay Educators can deliver alongside an HCP or alongside another Lay Educator, as long as both Lay Educators are accredited, following recommendations from the initial study.
The benefits of using Lay Educators.
Lay Educators can support DESMOND sites to increase capacity, maintain quality and improve cost-effectiveness, while increasing access to self-management education. Furthermore, utilising Lay Educators can free up HCPs to undertake clinical commitments.
Lay Educators may also be able to further promote their local DESMOND service by working to improve communication with referrers, build a presence within the local community through attending both patient facing and professional events, work on promotional materials such as posters and self-referral leaflets and much more!
Lay Educators are not restricted in the sessions within the DESMOND course they deliver and progress through the same process of accreditation as HCP Educators.
Meet some DESMOND Lay Educators!
In 2019, Christopher Henry joined the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust (SEHSCT) in Northern Ireland as a Diabetes Assistant DESMOND Educator. Christopher’s post enabled the team to remodel how courses were delivered. Now, each course is delivered by Christopher and either a Diabetes Specialist Dietitian (DSD) or a Diabetes Specialist Nurse (DSN).
Christopher not only co-delivers all courses but is also responsible for coordinating pre and post course administration, room bookings, zoom booking, and setting up/taking down course materials and room layout. By delegating these tasks, DSD and DSN clinical time has been freed up to provide complex direct patient care.
In the 2023 Celebrating DESMOND Awards, Christopher won the award for ‘Educator of the Year’!
Jane Jennion is a DESMOND Lay Educator in Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh. She explains: “I worked in an admin role and wanted to work in a more patient facing role. I applied for the position of Desmond Educator Support Worker. I thought this would be a great opportunity to help people, learn about diabetes and work towards becoming a DESMOND Educator.
“The best part of my role is meeting lots of new participants each week. Sometimes on arrival at a session they are very anxious. It is lovely to see how they relax and engage as the day progresses. The most rewarding part of my job is when I see how determined they are to take control of their diabetes and how motivated they are completing their plan at the end of session.”
Jen Menton, who is a DESMOND Lay Educator in Bedford, explains how she got into the role: “I have, for many years, been interested in diabetes education. I worked in primary care for a number of years and could see the impact of education.
“I observed a DESMOND session and knew that was where I wanted to work. It took a few years and I have been working in diabetes weight management, which I still do, but I am now absolutely delighted to be part of a team of brilliant DESMOND Educators in Bedford.”
Jen shares what she enjoys most about her role: “I just love seeing patients, and how they can change throughout the day, those light bulb moments, and the feeling of empowerment they get from the themes we discuss throughout the day. I love working with colleagues who share the passion for self-management.”
There are various career paths for becoming a Lay Educator.
Sandra Nelson is a Bank Diabetes Educator in North Cumbria and started her career as a Registered General Nurse, before changing her career to work for a pharmaceutical company that specialised in diabetes.
Sandra explains: “It was in this role I came to understand the importance of empowering people living with type 2 diabetes. I applied for the role as Lay Educator for DESMOND. I was successful in my application and now having taken retirement work on a bank basis in North Cumbria alongside other DESMOND Educators.
“Supporting people living with type 2 diabetes to make positive changes is both enjoyable and fulfilling. Every group is different, and this keeps the role interesting.”
To find out more about using Lay Educators, please contact the DESMOND National Team.