Wales

There are eight finalists from Wales listed in the 2020 Quality in Care (QiC) Diabetes Awards. Winners are due to be announced in a streamed ceremony on Thursday 15 October.

The successful Welsh entries represent a range of services and projects covering key themes such as prevention, podiatry, young adult care, and psychology.

Two titles from Talking Type 1, the national series of support booklets have been shortlisted in the Mind and Body Healthy Together category. The booklets are written by Dr Rose Stewart in conjunction with people living with diabetes and their distribution in Wales is funded by the All-Wales Diabetes Implementation Group. The two shortlisted titles are Diabetes Burnout and Not OK with Needles.

SEREN Connect, the education programme aimed at young people moving into adult services and young adults, is a finalist in two categories: Diabetes Education Programmes for People with Diabetes, and selected as a contender for the Judges’ Special Award. The resources have been written by Sara Crowley, NHS Wales Transitional Care Co-ordinator, and have been piloted in units across Wales and generated interest in England and further afield. The course takes a unique approach to life with diabetes, explaining how diabetes may impact on the experience of becoming a young adult, for example on learning to drive, entering the workforce, attending university, and engaging in activities such as travel and festivals.

There are two finalists from Wales in the Type 1 Specialist Service category. Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board have been shortlisted for their specialist service supporting young people as they move to adult services. The Cwm Taf model in Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil was a recognised example of best practice in the All-Wales Standard for such services. The other finalist is the Children and Young People’s Wales Diabetes Network for the Hypo Dino book, which was written by two girls and has subsequently been distributed through all clinics in Wales.

The Cardiff and Vale University Health Board podiatry team are finalists in the Patient Care Pathway, Secondary and Community category, for their development of a Community ‘Walk in’ Clinic for Diabetic Foot Disease at times of crisis. There is progress across Wales towards patient activated podiatry services with the aim of reducing the incidence and severity of foot disease as a result of diabetes.

The All Wales Quality Assured Brief Intervention Pre-Diabetes Pilot, which was a joint project run by Cardiff and Vale University Health Board and Swansea Bay University Health Board is a finalist in the Prevention, Remission and Early Diagnosis category. The project was funded by the All Wales Diabetes Implementation Group and has achieved significant results in preventing people from developing diabetes. The outcomes of the project are now being put into action across Wales.

Finally, Wendy Gane MBE, the Chair of the All Wales Patient Reference Group and long-time advocate for people with Type 1 Diabetes has been nominated for The People’s Award, which is voted on by members of the public.

The winners of the QiC Diabetes Awards will be announced in a live ceremony streamed from the Quality in Care website on Thursday 15 October.