20-year diabetes battle
Shetland nurse on improving care on the islands and the honour of being nominated for prestigious prize
DIABETES can be a tricky condition that takes experience and patience to get to grips with.
But, for some, the issue of living on a remote island like Shetland can add another layer of difficulty to care and treatment.
Alison Irvine is the only specialist diabetes nurse on Shetland and works with the NHS and its partners to help adults dealing with type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes manage their condition.
She’s been in the post for almost 10 years and works with primary care colleagues across the islands and mainland to provide the very best standard of care.
Alison said: “I’ve had an interest in diabetes care for around 20 years.
“I completed my diploma in diabetes care to become a links nurse because we didn’t have a specialist role in Shetland at that point. Since then, the technologies have skyrocketed.
“Ten years ago, a consultant said there would never be insulin pumps on Shetland, but, in 2018, we started three adults and one child on them, and this August we started another three adults and a child.”
Before Alison started in her role, patients had to travel as far as Aberdeen for care.
Alison said: “They’d have to be away for a few days, sometimes a whole week which was time expensive for families and cost the board a lot in expenses.
“For example, we had a young mother with diabetes who’d just had a baby. For her clinic appointment, she’d travel for two hours from one of the northernmost islands on two ferries and that wasn’t realistic.
“Now, with technological advancements, we can video conference with her at her local health centre and download her glucose metre and see the same information as we would at her appointment.”
This year’s Scottish Health Awards winners will be revealed at a ceremony in Edinburgh’s Corn Exchange on November 14.
Alison said it felt amazing to be nominated for the Nurse award, and added: “It’s such an honour that a patient has taken the time to put me forward for this award.”