Champions are sought to push diabetes care

DIABETES UK is looking for healthcare professionals to lead improvements in diabetes care.

The charity is searching the North of England for clinicians with a special interest in diabetes to take part in its Clinical Champions programme.

The award-winning initiative launched in 2014, in partnership with Novo Nordisk, to address the significant variation in patient care and treatment for people living with diabetes in the UK.

Since the programme began, 105 clinicians have been recruited to develop their leadership skills and become champions for improving diabetes care.

Between them they’ve trained thousands of other healthcare professionals, developed innovative new clinics, reduced medication errors and increased the number of people getting the right treatment for their diabetes.

The new champions will be selected based on their leadership potential, clinical expertise and a demonstrable passion for transforming care for people with diabetes. They will be supported with two years of training alongside their clinical work.

Diabetes is the most devastating and fastest growing health crisis of our time, affecting 4.7m people. If not well managed, it is linked with complications including amputation, sight loss, stroke and kidney failure.

The Clinical Champions programme is not about parachuting in external experts who don’t understand local needs, but about empowering clinicians in the local area to lead on delivering the best possible care.

For more information or to apply to become a Clinical Champion for 2020-2022 please contact clinicalchampions@diabetes. org.uk or call 020 7424 1052.

Clare Howarth, Diabetes UK