Inpatient diabetes network formed in Midlands

A network has been launched for Midlands-based healthcare professionals wanting to improve inpatient diabetes care.

The inaugural meeting of the Midlands Diabetes Inpatient Network took place on Thursday, November 9, at Jurys Inn East Midlands Airport.

It has been formed by a group, including Helen Atkins, an advanced nurse practitioner at Leicester University Hospitals NHS Trust, and Dr Kath Higgins, lead clinician for inpatient diabetes care at the trust.

The meeting was kicked off by a summary of Diabetes UK’s Improving Inpatient Care programme from Emily Watts. Then Dr Parijat De, from Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, and Dr Suma Sugunendran, of Derby Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, talked about data in the region.

There were speed presentations with Wyn Burbridge, from Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, talking about reducing insulin errors, Dr Higgins speaking about DKA and Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust’s Maria Mousley, covering a service evaluation of a diabetic foot ward round.

Peter Shorrick, the regional head for the Midlands at Diabetes UK, also gave a presentation, while three views were offered on whether the foot inpatient pathway had improved, with contributions from Mr Rob Davis, a vascular surgeon, senior diabetes specialist nurse Rachel Berrington and podiatrist Helen Parberry, all from the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust.

The day was wrapped up with a set of talks on the them of IT improving inpatient care, covering the INDIE-IDEA project developed in Leicester by Dr Sowmya Gururaj, who is now a consultant in Northampton, as well as ‘How NHS developed EPR is transforming IP care at UHB’ from Dr Sandip Ghosh of University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust.