Winner

A national networked approach to improving care and outcomes in children and young people with diabetes in England

by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust 

In an attempt to address the lack of a standardised approach to healthcare for children and young people (CYP) with type 1 diabetes issue, 10 regional CYP diabetes networks were set up with support from NHS Diabetes. These networks together form the National CYP Diabetes Network to share good practice and maintain high quality standards. Working in conjunction with the Department of Health, the National CYP Diabetes Network has recognised the need to develop a five-year National Paediatric Diabetes Service Improvement Delivery Plan to help improve outcomes and the quality and safety of care. Achievements so far include assisting the development of the 13 Care Standards set out in the Best Practice Tariff and to develop the National Peer Review Quality Assurance Programme. A patient/carer reference group has also been set up under the name Families with Diabetes National Network.

Judges’ comments

“Supporting children with diabetes is a very important topic with significant implications, and the process of getting everyone who was involved in this project together has to be commended. Well-structured and tangible positive outcomes demonstrated.”

Finalist

Developing a transition toolkit – the process and the outputs

by North West Paediatric Diabetes Network

The process for transition from paediatric care to adult care in diabetes varies across the country and many young people are lost to follow up. The North West Paediatric Diabetes Network (NWPD) team shared information from various trusts in the area to create a template for a transition toolkit that could be adapted by different teams irrespective of their own transition arrangements. The documents were piloted by two units with different transition processes to ensure they were applicable to practice and the information was transferable. Pilot sites reported that they found the suite of tools easy to use and helpful in describing their local process for transition. The toolkit has been shared with all units and trusts regionally via the monthly NWPD network newsletter. It has also been shared nationally via the network co-ordinators.