Winner
Dr Mayank Patel
Mayank has worked tirelessly in University Hospital Southampton to enhance the diabetes knowledge of HCPs and patients. He has taken a 360 degree approach to education, ensuring that all involved in diabetes are approached. He co-developed DiAppbetes – a smartphone application to give diabetes support to clinical staff and speaks annually at the DRWF local Wellness Day patient event.
As a result of increased diabetes education delivery, the local profile of diabetes has been significantly raised. Departments also invite the diabetes team to comment on bespoke initiatives that they develop themselves to improve diabetes care. Regular NaDIA participation has shown increasing levels of patient satisfaction and confidence trustwise in diabetes care provision. There is now increased educational provision by the team for patients, and primary and secondary care audiences.
Finalist
Professor Maggie Shepherd
Professor Maggie Shepherd is the recognised education champion for monogenic diabetes in the UK and the educational lead for the annual International Monogenic Diabetes Symposium launched in Exeter in 2014. She is renowned for her work creating and leading the UK Genetic Diabetes Nurse education programme since 2002. This national network of Genetic Diabetes Nurses (www.diabetesgenes.org) uses a “train the trainer” model to increase recognition of monogenic diabetes and improve patient care by treating diabetes according to genetic subtype.
Professor Shepherd has given 33 invited national/international lectures since 2010 and written 27 peer-reviewed articles about education aspects of monogenic diabetes. As leader of the UK Genetic Diabetes Nurse (GDN) Educational Programme, she has secured £500,000 funding, trained 66 GDNs who have given 637 talks to 8,518 healthcare professionals, delivered 64 GDN study days and established monogenic diabetes clinics in 10 regions. This has resulted in improved clinical care through accurate diagnosis and treatment by genetic subtype.
Finalist
Matt has been the East of England Paediatric Diabetes network lead nurse for the past four years. As part of this role, he has become the champion for educating the network healthcare teams and their patients about the new glycaemic targets for children and young people. He has achieved this through a variety of formats including the creation of a targets taskforce, a camp education day and education sessions for families and healthcare staff. As a result of his hard work we are starting to see real improvements in glycaemic outcomes in our region for the first time in years.
Matt has proved that this methodology works with his own team at Kings Lynn where they have been teaching to the new targets at diagnosis for over 18 months now. With comparable data they are now able to demonstrate that by using the new tighter targets you can bring about sustained lower levels of HbA1C in all newly diagnosed patients.
