The Link: Vol 13 No 2

NHS Diabetes
NHS Diabetes – which works with people delivering and receiving diabetes care to implement the National Service Framework for diabetes – has changed its name from National Diabetes Support Team.

The decision has been made to reflect a period of positive change as the team moves forward under new director Anna Morton, who joined in December. Anna said the re-branding represented an opportunity to re-launch the team with fresh objectives.

She said: “We have a key role to play in improving the quality of care and outcomes for people with diabetes, so it is vitally important that we get our focus right. There is such a vast amount of talent and skills within the team, and lots of enthusiasm and determination, so I am very confident about the future”.

The team has also been working hard to redefine its key messages, which Anna has summed up by saying: “I see our role as aiming to raise quality of care and improve outcomes and experience for all people with diabetes by focusing on improving the quality and equality of processes and services across England.”

The team will use the Diabetes UK’s Annual Professional Conference, which runs from 11–13 March, as a platform to mark the name change.

NHS Diabetes will be promoting its new name at a stand at the event, where all of its most popular literature will be available.

The team is also expanding with two more regional programme mangers recently recruited. Marie Cummins joined in February and will be supporting the East of England region, and Leena Sevak will take up the post for the London area in early March.

The team now has regional programme mangers covering seven of the ten Strategic Health Authority areas, and is looking to recruit people to fill the remaining areas: East Midlands, North West and South East. 

For more information contact NHS Diabetes at www.diabetes.nhs.uk, by phone on 0116 295 2045/2080, or by email at [email protected].

Oliver Jelley, NHS Diabetes (formerly National Diabetes Support Team)

The Royal College of Nursing Diabetes Forum
The Royal College of Nursing Diabetes Forum steering group met in January under the chair of Mags Bannister. Currently, project work is focussed on joint working with other groups within the RCN and other organisations, such as Diabetes UK. The three areas of work are:

• Diabetes in the workplace.
• Diabetes in the prison environment.
• Diabetes management in care homes.

Gayle Richards and Jill Hill have been leading on the work to raise the awareness of diabetes in the workplace. This culminated in a presentation at the Occupational Health Nurses’ Forum annual conference in November last year. Keith Booles and Patricia Clawson continue to make progress in identifying current management of diabetes in the custodial setting (prisons and police cells). A questionnaire has been developed for all those working in these areas. Margaret Stubbs and Roisin Wright are liaising with other organisations to produce up-to-date guidance for the care of individuals with diabetes who reside in care homes.

In addition, Keith Booles is tasked with keeping the Forum’s section on the RCN website up-to-date. All members of the RCN are able to access this information at www.rcn.org.uk/development/practice/diabetes.

Jill continues to edit the RCN Diabetes Forum’s newsletter, “Diabites”, which all members of the forum should receive through the post. Membership of the forum can be obtained by ticking the appropriate box when membership comes up for renewal, or by contacting the RCN on 020 7409 3333.

Gayle Richards, RCN Diabetes Forum