14th edition – Friday, September 26, 2014

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Talk hypos says new campaign

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Ninjabetic – A real game changer

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DESMOND awards to showcase good practice

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Diabetes nurses’ group celebrates anniversary

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Lest we forget – Dr Partha Kar’s latest blog post

I am all for innovation and working differently. In fact, the diabetes team where I work is well known for being at the cutting edge of working differently...check the articles, the awards, the feedback from local patients, primary care, CCGs...it is a fact that the diabetes team from Portsmouth are always up for trying new things, new ways of working within the existing financial constraints and envelopes....so the last thing you can accuse me of being a cynic towards innovation.

But some things are now starting to grate...there's now been a few meetings I have attended, seeing a few twitter chats, a few workshops I have been to...where I think people are now being misled, deliberately or otherwise. How many times have you heard this..."working together is the way ahead"; "collaboration", "value-based leadership"...aware of all of them, understand them all...but to indicate that will solve the problems of the NHS is simply put..misleading at best, irresponsible at worst. You create the impression that it's the intransigence of some which is preventing progression of healthcare and money isn't the key factor...when it is THE factor. To read more, click here.

Online training for Type 2 diabetes scoops prize

An online training module aimed at empowering people with Type 2 diabetes has won a top award.

Thh e-learning programme ‘Type 2 Diabetes has and Me’ has won a British Medical Association (BMA) Patient Information Award 2014 in the ‘long-term conditions’ special category. To read more, click here.

Talk hypos says new campaign

An awareness campaign to encourage people to talk about hypoglycaemia has been launched ahead of Hypo Awareness Week.

TALK Hypos aims to improve recognition and management of one of the most common diabetes complications, which is associated with reduced quality of life and a significant cost to the NHS but remains under-recognised and under reported.

talkHypos logoSupported by Novo Nordisk and Diabetes UK, the campaign launches to coincide with Hypo Awareness Week (29 September–5 October 2014). To read more, click here.

Ninjabetic – A real game changer

It has been just over a week since I was handed a yellow shiny box that contained the newest kit on the block, Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre. All week I’ve been asked about the Libre:
“How much does it cost?”
“Does it hurt to put on?”
“Will I still need to finger prick?”
“Will you use it again?”…

There has been a lot of excitement over the Libre of late and I can understand why. It might not suit everyone but for some, it could be a real game changer. To r.ad more, click here,

DESMOND awards to showcase good practice

An annual awards to celebrate the Type 2 diabetes structured education programme DESMOND has been launched.

DESMOND teams are being encouraged to enter the programme which aims to reward excellence and share good practice.

The awards launched this month and culminate in the prize giving on World Diabetes Day 2014 on November 14.

Bernie Stribling, DESMOND Director, said: “We would like to invite all the sites to take part." To read more, click here.

Diabetes nurses’ group celebrates anniversary

A nurses’ group which has driven improvements in diabetes care in hospitals is celebrating ten years of making a difference.

Members of Diabetes Inpatient Specialist Nurse (DISN) UK Group will be marking its 10th anniversary when they come together at the annual conference which takes place on October 1 at Novotel London City South.

Chair Esther Walden, a Diabetes Inpatient Specialist Nurse at the Norfolk & Norwich University NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Having started after a gentle nudge from my supportive consultant Professor Mike Sampson, the DISN UK Group is for me a career highlight." To read more, click here.

DIABETES DIGEST

New Abbott meter eliminates routine finger pricks

Abbott has released a new glucose monitoring system which eliminates the need for routine finger pricks.

FreeStyle® Libre Flash Glucose Monitoring System uses revolutionary new glucose sensing technology.

The system reads glucose levels through a sensor that can be worn on the back of the upper arm for up to 14 days. In addition, no finger prick calibration is needed—a key differentiator from current continuous glucose monitoring systems. The system will be available in seven countries across Europe in the coming weeks. To read more, click here.

Tesco agree new partnership with Diabetes UK

Tesco has agreed a new deal with Diabetes UK to generate more funds and awareness.

The charity is currently the sole corporate partner of Tesco with more than £12 million already raised towards an £18 million target.

Now the retailer, Diabetes UK and the British Heart Foundation have confirmed that they will join forces from early next year. To read more, click here.

Calls for NHS to roll out more diabetes education for staff

Sixty per cent of Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) in England do not fund specific diabetes education for their healthcare professionals, according to a new survey by Diabetes UK.

The charity is concerned that training is not in place for doctors, nurses and other professionals, especially considering that by 2025 a projected five million people in the UK will have diabetes. For more information, click here.

Newly diagnosed people with Type 1 diabetes invited to join research hub

People aged between five and 60 who have been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in the last six months are being invited to take part in research to help find new treatments.

The ADDRESS-2 project is offering this group of people and their siblings the opportunity to join a national resource of people who can be approached for research studies.

Professor Desmond Johnston, Chief Investigator, said: “For these treatments to work people had to be entered into clinical trials very early.”

To read more, click here.