WINNER
Quality Improvement Innovation to Improve Early Diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes in Children and Young People
by Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales, Cardiff & Vale University Health Board
NICE guidance and the Diabetes Delivery Plan for Wales recognise prompt diagnosis of type 1 diabetes (T1D) in children as a priority. Most of those presenting for the first time with signs of T1D are seen in primary care, but it remains a relatively uncommon diagnosis in this setting and delays can occur. A quality improvement project was initiated in the Cardiff & Vale University Health Board with the Children and Young People’s Wales Diabetes Network. Primary care healthcare professionals outlined the challenges and a clinical referral pathway was established, backed by teaching programmes and reflective learning.
Judges’ comments:
“This entry stood out because of its focus on improving the early stages of care in diagnosis of children and young people with type 1 diabetes. Being diagnosed in DKA is a traumatic experience and occurs often. This is often an awful experience, not only for the children and young people, but for their family. This entry is a good role model for other areas to pick up and run with and the collaboration addresses the lack of knowledge we sometimes see in primary care providers. It demonstrated a great impact in primary care and raised awareness in an area where there can often be a complete lack.”
HIGHLY COMMENDED
National Standards for Diabetes Transitional Care and Young Adult Service
by NHS Wales
NHS Wales wanted to provide a comprehensive national young adult service for people with diabetes, covering the time between leaving paediatric services and the age of 25. The result was a set of Standards, created as a best practice reference for Welsh health boards to follow to develop services that met the holistic needs of this group. All recommendations were based on good practice observed in Wales and beyond, with learning taken from specialist health care professionals across paediatric and adult services and co-produced with people living with diabetes and their families.
Judges’ comments:
“This was an impressive collaboration which set out to improve the national standards of transition, which can be a messy process. The judges were impressed with this entry, and commend how those involved in creating the initiative recognised the unmet need in this area, and set about to transform standards for this vital step in the progression of treatment for young adults with diabetes. It was also very refreshing to see the input from stakeholders, which ensured that the content of the entry was determined by those professionals who would be using the standards in practice.”
FINALIST
University Toolkit Collaboration Between JDRF, NHS England and Diabetes UK
by JDRF UK
JDRF, the Type 1 diabetes charity, and Diabetes UK teamed up with Norfolk and Norwich NHS Trust to conduct a survey of the provision of diabetes care in UK universities and patients’ perceptions of their university diabetes care. The aim was to offer a collaborative, online University Toolkit for those with Type 1 diabetes studying at, or planning to attend, university. The key message of the online resource is that diabetes is not an obstacle to university life. The toolkit helps patients to manage their condition effectively, so that they can make the most of their time at university.
Judges’ comments:
“The University Toolkit was a true, unique collaboration which demonstrated an impressive use of technology. There was good feedback from healthcare professionals and it showed strong innovation in its methods of collaboration. The synergy between the different organisations involved was a great example of working across barriers between separate groups to create benefits for people living with diabetes.”
