WINNER
Diabetes 101: Creating a Community From a Crisis
By Diabetes 101
The Diabetes 101 project is a virtual diabetes MDT service, set up on Twitter in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and first national UK lockdown. At this time people living with diabetes were extremely anxious. Misinformation was a problem, and capacity in specialist diabetes teams was overwhelmed. The account disseminated reliable information, stability and support to people living with diabetes. It was staffed voluntarily by 19 multi-disciplinary healthcare professionals. The account has more than 6,000 followers, with resources shared around the world. Novel formats of education delivery have been successfully trialled and a website has been developed.
Judges' comments:
"This was amazing work from Diabetes 101. They used social media in an innovative way and the infographics on data was amazing. The app gave those who were locked in the opportunity to access detailed information and get answers. The team did this outside of their day-to-day work and it is innovative, engaging and empowering. It is a fantastic example of cross-team working and genuinely kept people out of hospital. The fact that it was delivered in a less formal, chatty way made it engaging, nimble and with great reach. "
HIGHLY COMMENDED
The National Diabetes COVID-19 Response Group Collaborative
By The National Diabetes COVID-19 Response Group
The COVID-19 pandemic meant many diabetes staff were redeployed to support general inpatient care. Information from London and Italy suggested people with diabetes and COVID-19 infection had poorer outcomes, and that the infection might trigger new onset diabetes. In response, the National Diabetes Inpatient COVID-19 Response Group was convened in the last week of March 2020. Its purpose was to maintain consistent support for people with diabetes and provide COVID-specific guidance for specialists and non-specialists. Specialists in diabetes, pharmacy and psychology, from all four UK nations, met weekly, or more often, to create a series of pragmatic guidance documents.
Judges' comments:
"The initiative from The National Diabetes COVID-19 Response Group provoked an emotional response from the judges and they felt very proud that this work had taken place within the diabetes community. This was an outstanding initiative directly supporting front-line healthcare professionals during an incredibly challenging time for services. The documents generated will have been (and still are) used in every hospital site in the country. Amazing work, fabulous team."
FINALIST
A collaborative approach to insulin delegation: a pilot to drive system change on the background of the COVID 19 pandemic
By East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust
The rising number of older, frail, and co-morbid people with diabetes requiring insulin therapy via community services put additional pressure on overstretched community nursing workloads, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, appropriately trained and competency assessed health support workers and healthcare assistants were identified to administer insulin to people with stable diabetes control. Joint working, led by East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust with Sussex Community NHS foundation Trust, prior to the launch of the NHSE and NHSI framework, resulted in a draft guideline to enable these workers in residential/care homes to administer insulin using pens to adults with diabetes.
Judges' comments:
"East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust’s entry demonstrated a good use of available staff and the judges liked the way the framework had been put together. The legal document that protected healthcare workers was very strong, as was the training provided. We felt that others would be able to learn from this project and liked the that the whole planning, protocol and training was in place before any national guidance came out. A unique entry."