Jenny Lind Diabetes team

NNUH Diabetes Team Update

Diabetes & Swine Flu

• Talk on Swine Flu
Thanks to the Jenny Lind Diabetes Team for the recent talk on Swine Flu.  Click here  to open the information they went through on the evening. Diabetes and Swine Flu

People

• Extra diabetes specialist nurses
We have a very large number of children with diabetes, and the recommended number of specialist nurses is 1 for every 70-100 patients. After much negotiation and persuasion, the Trust has agreed to fund an extra 1½ specialist nurse posts. We hope that the extra posts will make it easier for you to get hold of someone, when you have a problem. We shall be advertising in the near future, and hope to have our new specialist nurses in post by early next year.

• Half-time psychologist
Norfolk PCT has agreed to pay for a ½ time psychologist for diabetes to be shared between us and the James Paget Hospital. Children with long-term health problems, like diabetes, sometimes find it very difficult to cope with - a psychologist will be a major help to us, as previously, we have had very little we could offer to children and young people.

• New doctor
We are hoping to get a new doctor to help us out in the diabetes clinic. Some of you will remember Dr Gill Lister who used to help in the diabetes clinic, but after Gill left, we did not get a replacement. We are hoping to get someone to fill her shoes, and hope to have someone in place by early next year.

Equipment

• Freestyle Navigator
We recently were given a new continuous blood glucose monitor by Abbott, who make the blood glucose meters we use in hospital. It has been a big success, and we would like to buy some more, so that everyone who needs a glucose profile can have one. The glucose sensor is worn on the arm, and gives continuous glucose readings over 5 days. It alarms if you are too low or too high, and is a really good way of understanding what is going on - particularly if you are having unexplained hypos or high levels.

• Insulin pens
First, came the Novopen Junior, and now we have the Humapen Luxura HD. If you think you might benefit from being able to give ½ units of insulin, why not ask, next time you are here? Another new pen is the Humapen Memoir, which remembers your last few insulin doses – really useful if you have a hectic life!

Research

A number of important research studies are just about to start. Units that participate in research have significantly better results than those that don’t. We need your help if diabetes care is to continue to improve. Look out for the following:

• FACTS - this study teaches young people how to cope with having diabetes. The sessions will be starting soon, but it’s not too late to join in if you are interested.

• ADDIT - a study that is trying to prevent the premature development of complications by using drugs to lower blood pressure and cholesterol. This study is targeted at teenagers who already have some signs of excessive urine protein.

• Glargine-Detemir - a study comparing these two long-acting insulins to see which might be better for teenage girls

• DGAP - a study requiring blood samples from newly-diagnosed children, to help us unravel the triggers and risk factors for diabetes

• Protégé - this is a study looking at whether it is possible to cure newly diagnosed patients with antibody treatment

• Artificial Pancreas - if you are on a pump, then you might be eligible for this study. It involves using an automated insulin pump that responds to your blood glucose level, just as your pancreas would do, if it could.

• TrialNet - this is a study which has been running for a while. We are screening relatives of children with diabetes, to see if they are at risk, too. The idea is to detect people who might be at risk of getting diabetes, to see if we can stop it.

As with all our research studies, if there is anything you would like to know more about, please ask.

Support & Education

We recently completed an audit of families attending the diabetes clinic. We haven’t had the results yet, but we hope to learn from you what is going well, and what is not so good. We will feedback in the next newsletter. Whilst on this topic, do you get the support and information you need? Occasionally, we organise evening meetings for children and families but recently, these have not been popular. What do you need from us? Is our written information good enough? We need your ideas so that we can serve you better! Please let us know what we can do for you.

Contacts:
Dr Nandu Thalange
Consultant Paediatrician, Jenny Lind Children's Dept, NNUH NHS Trust,
Colney Lane, Norwich NR4 7UY
e: nandu.thalange@nnuh.nhs.uk
t: 01603 286341

Jill Ward and Debbie Upton
Specialist Diabetes Nurses
t: 01603 287504