Source · HSSIB Patient Safety Investigation
Insulin: supporting safe self-administration in vulnerable patient groups in the community
HSSIB’s introductionThis series of reports explores risks to patient safety for patients in the community who self-administer insulin and who may be at increased risk of harm because of their circumstances. To date we've published three out of four reports.
Published 13 August 2026
Published
Mental health
Medication
Learning disabilities
Indexed content
1 recommendation
1 of 1 responded
Safety Recommendations
HSSIB recommends that NHS England/Department of Health and Social Care provides guidance to integrated care boards and community providers setting out expectations for service models that empower and support people to manage and administer insulin in community settings. This is to support recognition of models that have safely, effectively and equitably engaged patients, their families and carers, including through the use of modern diabetes technology for self-management.
AI-generated response summary NHS England will establish a task group by October 2026 to collate good practice and develop a principles document providing guidance for insulin self-management by March 2028.
Response received 14 July 2026
The Community Nursing team within the national nursing directorate, will lead on and establish a short life task and finish group, to oversee delivery of both recommendations. Membership will be drawn from existing networks drawing on relevant key stakeholders including the Community and District Nursing Insulin Programme (CADNIP/) and Getting It Right First-Time representation. Delivery will focus on collating and synthesising existing good practice of models from across the country rather than commissioning new work. The established Community Nursing Clinical Reference Group and Community Nursing Fellows Alumni will support sense-checking and identification of exemplar models. The output will be the development of a principles document which will set out guidance to support integrated care boards and community providers with service models that empower and support people to manage insulin in community settings. In view of other relevant HSSIB recommendations related to supporting safe self-administration for patients in the community, for example for patients with a mental health problem, we will collaborate with other stakeholders to ensure strategic alignment and integration of related work to maximise impact and reduce risk of any duplication. Actions planned to deliver safety recommendation: Establish a short life task and finish group, by October 2026. Resources in place: This will be delivered by the Community Nursing and Primary Care Nursing Team, NHS England. Other dependencies identified: Strategic alignment and integration of related work with colleagues responsible for other HSSIB recommendations related to insulin in community. Collate and synthesise existing good practice, by June 2027. Develop and draft principles document providing guidance, by October 2027. Test the draft principles with several community providers prior to finalising and publication, by December 2027. Finalise the principles document, obtain internal sign-off incorporating output of recommendation 085, by March 2028. Response received on 14 July 2026 .