HIGHLY COMMENDED
YES (Youth Empowerment Skills): A stepping stone for diabetes self care and empowerment
by Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
The YES programme works with young people with diabetes, who have low levels of engagement with diabetes care. It was co-designed and co-delivered by young people and aims to foster self-confidence and strengthen engagement with diabetes care. In contrast with traditional education models for diabetes it uses novel educational strategies: key features include outreach work and innovative learning styles, including simulations, peer-led sessions and fun activities. It uses social media to keep young people in touch with each other, encouraging social networking and the delivery of peer-to-peer support. A clinically important fall in Hba1c has been seen in participants so far.
Judges comment:
“Social bonding is a vital support mechanism and this initiative – which was co-led by someone with diabetes – was a powerful inspiration. The judges felt it had the patients at its heart and was a great pilot programme that they would like to see spread nationwide.”
FINALIST
Making Transition better – the Newham Experience
by Newham University Hospital, Barts Health, London
Newham, east London is the youngest borough in the UK with 40% of the population under 25 years old and more than 60% from ethnic groups. Consequently it has a high prevalence of type 2 diabetes in young people. Barts Health found patients and carers identified three contributors to poor self-management: poor/inflexible access to care; need for peer support; and lack of patient champions. To address this, it pioneered the use of online diabetes follow-up via Skype, developed a local peer-support group via a social platform and obtained funding for a youth champion to facilitate the peer-groups and help redesign the clinical service.
Judges comment:
“A fantastic project with good local context that had a huge local, national and global impact, and is particularly usable for engaging with a younger demographic”
