Work continues for the 2007 RCN PADG conference and AGM. Provisionally, Liverpool has been chosen as the location and the dates set for 23–24 November.
At the RCN congress to be held on 16–18 April newly elected Chair of RCN PADG Rebecca Thompson and committee member Emma Day will be running a student seminar entitled ‘Childhood Diabetes for the Terrified’. The aim of the session is to increase knowledge of the incidence, epidemiology and management of diabetes in childhood.
In other news, the report Commissioning for Children and Young People with Diabetes is in the closing stages of being produced. It will hopefully be launched in the near future. We would also like to highlight Diabetes UK’s call for paediatric DSNs to share their examples of good practice with them, Stella Valerkou is the person to contact regarding this; she can be contacted at: stella.valerkou@diabetes.org.uk.
The final point goes to the BBC coverage of the report undertaken by Diabetes UK. Their findings suggest four out of five children are not achieving the recommended blood glucose control and hence the poorer health outcomes for these children need to be addressed. Resource implications have been identified as the major contributing factor to this issue. The RCN recognises this and also draws upon anecdotal evidence of falling numbers of paediatric DSNs, with others being asked to work on hospital wards. This, in conjunction with the lack of school nurses, further diminishes the services and expertise that can be offered to children and their families.
Marie Marshall, Publicity Officer, RCN Paediatric and Adolescent Diabetes Group
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