A Harrogate District Hospital nurse has been appointed a Diabetes UK Local Clinical Champion, the only nurse among 20 other healthcare professionals.
Diabetes Specialist Nurse Debora Brown is taking forward projects including improving diabetes care for people aged over 75 both in hospital and at home, and supporting healthcare professionals who would like to learn more about diabetes.
She is also keen to widen access to diabetes education for people with diabetes as well as doctors and nurses.
Local Clinical Champions have a two-year tenure and are supported by Diabetes UK, Novo Nordisk and Ashridge Business School in Herefordshire.
In the UK there is significant variation in care, treatments and health outcomes for people with diabetes. However, there is a clear and growing evidence base that it is possible to deliver better care for less money by ensuring effective services help reduce expensive and personally devastating complications.
In the face of this growing health challenge, Diabetes UK has created local clinical champions and networks which foster the leadership and collaboration necessary to create effective, joined-up services.
Diabetes UK Clinical Champions are healthcare professionals with the knowledge and drive to improve care locally for people living with diabetes. They act as catalysts for change, working closely with local decision makers to ensure diabetes is at the top of the health agenda and to implement innovative solutions to local issues.
Debora, who lives in Bedale, North Yorkshire, has worked as a Diabetes Specialist Nurse for 23 years, in London, the South East and York before coming to Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust seven years ago.
Debora said:
Nurses don’t often get this opportunity to work with other specialists in diabetes from around the UK. I am really proud to be involved as a nurse, and am looking forward to being able to take my projects forward with the support of my colleagues in the Trust’s diabetes team, as well as from Harrogate and Rural District Clinical Commissioning Group.
I will be meeting up with the other Clinical Champions twice a year to exchange ideas and receive help and support from them and Diabetes UK. This will give me the impetus to drive forward changes in diabetes locally.
I am part of a fantastic diabetes team at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust who are excited and supportive of my new role. It gives us all the opportunity to make some real changes which will hopefully have lasting benefits to those people in this area who live with diabetes.
