Author: Network Editor

Healthcare professionals are invited to sign up to Insulin Safety Week 2023, which is returning later this year. The national insulin safety campaign will take place in sites across the UK and Ireland between Monday, May 15, and Sunday, May 21. Organised by Orange Juice Communications, the awareness week aims to educate nurses, doctors and other healthcare staff about insulin and how to use it safely. Insulin Safety Week 2023 is a national campaign that aims to reduce insulin errors among all healthcare professionals. In 2022, more than 420 sites took part in the annual insulin safety campaign, organisers have announced. By registering, sites will be given the option to receive a printed pack, which will include t-shirts, stickers, pens and posters. To take part in Insulin Safety Week 2023, email registrations@ojpr.co.uk with the following information: Lead organiser’s name Name of trust / organisation Number of participating sites (including names of each) Telephone number Address for printed pack If you require t-shirts and amount (up to four allowed). If you require a printed pack, please register soon as there is only a limited number available. This project has been funded by Sanofi who have had no input into any arrangements or content.

Healthcare professionals are invited to enter a national competition showcasing the very best in diabetes care, treatment and research. The 2024 Named Lectures Awards are now open to applications, and healthcare and research professionals who have contributed to developments in diabetes care are encouraged to apply before the deadline closes later this month. Organised by Diabetes UK, the highly respected awards are an integral part of the charity’s annual professional conference. Entries have opened for seven awards on various aspects of diabetes care, including lectures centred on clinical care, basic research, team community care improvements, nutrition, and education. The submissions will be judged by an independent panel. Winners will be announced next year with lectures delivered in-person at the Diabetes UK Professional Conference 2024. More details about the Diabetes UK Professional Conference 2024 will be unveiled soon. The deadline is Tuesday, February 21, 2023. To enter, click here. Photo by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash

The speakers who will taking part in this year’s online National Conference on April 21 have been revealed. A line-up of experts will discuss topics including the latest NHS Resolution report, the role of the pharmacist in the MDFT, and an update from the National Wound Care Strategy Programme. Click here to register for the free online event. Click here for more information about the conference and the call for abstracts.

Healthcare professionals involved in diabetes nursing can now register for one of three conferences dedicated to the subject in June. Trend Diabetes is delighted to announce that its annual conference is expanding this year as it prepares to host the event at three venues for the first time. Entitled ‘Diabetes: Does your sex matter’, the face-to-face conferences will first take place on Friday, June 9, at the Thistle Hotel Marble Arch in London, on Friday, June 16, at the National Conference Centre in Birmingham and then again on Friday, June 23, at the Hilton in Newcastle. All the events will include the same content and aim to support diabetes healthcare professionals by sharing best practice, innovations and real-life experience. Each event will feature world-renowned speakers with unique presentations on hot topics. The conferences are free to attend, with spaces expected to fill up quickly due to limited capacity at each venue. Delegates are advised to not register for all the events as the same programme is run at each location. Additionally, they are asked to not block book tickets, so just one booking per person. If you are unable to attend the conference once registered, please cancel your booking as places are limited. To ensure you are able to book for the 2024 conference please give two weeks’ notice if you are unable to attend this year. Register for the Trend Diabetes National Conferences below: London Birmingham Newcastle

A virtual event dedicated to continuous glucose monitoring will take place next month as part of a webinar series covering all aspects of diabetes care.  A total of 11 “informative” webinars are set to take place throughout 2023 to educate primary and secondary care professionals who want to brush up on their diabetes knowledge. Throughout the series, a range of topics will be covered in a series of monthly 45-minute case-based webinars, followed by a live 30-minute Q&A. General practitioner Dr Kevin Fernando, a partner of North Berwick Health Centre with a special interest in diabetes, is leading the monthly webinar series entitled ‘Diabetes Back to Basics’. He said: “It is a pleasure to be able to invite the diabetes community to this educational refresher where we will be answering the most asked questions surrounding diabetes care. “This informative webinar series will help secondary and primary care teams expand their diabetes knowledge and skills, ultimately improving the lives of people living with the condition.” He added: “We firmly believe by providing the right education and training to diabetes teams, we can improve the care we offer to the diabetes community. “Healthcare professionals have the option to attend all of the webinars, with each session focusing on a different aspect of diabetes care.” The first webinar, Back to basics: an introduction to continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) & time in range for the generalist, will take place on Tuesday, February 28, between 7pm and 8pm. During the session, Dr Fernando and Diabetes Specialist Nurse Nicki Milne will take a back-to-basics approach on what the delegates need to know about continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) in primary care – what is CGM, whom to initiate it for, the potential benefits and the pitfalls to avoid. Recently, updated NICE guidelines have opened the doors to intermittently scanned and real-time CGM devices for a much wider range of people we see in primary care living with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. At the end of the webinar, delegates will have learned about: Who is now eligible for CGM in primary care? What are the different types of CGM and what systems are available? What are the potential benefits of CGM and what pitfalls to avoid? Initiation of CGM in primary care and key essentials when interpreting CGM data. All the educational webinars are free-to-attend and only pre-registered healthcare professionals can join the sessions. To attend the first webinar, register here.

People using SGLT2 inhibitors are nearly 40 per cent less at risk of developing acute kidney injury or kidney disease compared to individuals not taking the medication, latest evidence identifies.  A new study has found that SGLT2 inhibitors can prevent the development of renal complications, despite the diabetes status and kidney function of the person prescribed the drug. During the investigation, a team of researchers looked at the MEDLINE and Embase databases to analyse different SGLT2 inhibitor trials. The 13 trials under review included 90,413 adults living with diabetes and 15,605 adults living without diabetes. SGLT2 inhibitors reduced the risk of kidney disease progression by 37 per cent in all of the participants, according to the study. The findings also show that the FDA-approved drug reduced the risk of active injury, cardiovascular death and hospitalisation for heart failure by more than 20 per cent. The results noted: “SGLT2 inhibitors also reduced the risk of cardiovascular death but did not significantly reduce the risk of non-cardiovascular death. ““For all outcomes, results were broadly similar irrespective of trial mean baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate.” They added: “Based on estimates of absolute effects, the absolute benefits of SGLT2 inhibition outweighed any serious hazards of ketoacidosis or amputation.” The full research study can be found here.

A new article examines the special attention required in the management of ankle fractures among people with diabetes, to reduce the risk of complications and injury. Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon Ngwe Phyo and Trauma and Orthopaedic Consultant Alexander Wee, from the Department of Trauma and Orthopaedics at Frimley Park Hospital, have outlined some of the key principles in the treatment of one of the most common injuries to be presented at emergency departments. Their key points are: Diabetic patients with ankle fracture risk a higher incidence of complication after injury and treatment Understanding of pathophysiology relating to undesired outcomes is crucial Caution is required when nonoperative management is considered for ankle fracture in patients with peripheral neuropathy Limb salvage should be the key objective. While ankle fractures are frequently seen in A&E, hindfoot fractures such as talus and calcaneal fractures are less common. According to recent figures, the incidence of diabetes in patients with ankle fractures ranges from 1 in 20 to 1 in 7. The authors say that: “Vigilance is required when opting for nonoperative treatment in undisplaced stable ankle fractures in patients with peripheral neuropathy. The presence of critical ischemia in injured limb demands vascular consultation and ultimately, an intervention before surgical fixation of ankle fracture. “An extended period of immobilisation is one of the key principles in the management of ankle fracture patients with diabetes.” The article has been published in the journal Foot and Ankle Clinics as part of a special issue, The Diabetic Foot. Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels

Healthcare professionals are being invited to enter a national competition showcasing excellence in inpatient diabetes care. The 2023 Rowan Hillson Inpatient Safety Award is open and the theme for this year is ‘Best innovation to improve patient safety when discharging from hospital’. Organised by the Joint British Diabetes Societies for Inpatient Care (JBDS-IP), the project is being led by Dr Umesh Dashora. The submissions will be judged against predetermined criteria, by an independent panel chaired by Rowan Hillson, and the winner will be presented with the prestigious annual Rowan Hillson Inpatient Safety Award at the ABCD Spring meeting 2023. The outcome of this initiative will be published on the ABCD, Diabetes UK and DISN UK Group websites to share excellent practice. Dr Dashora, the National Lead for the Rowan Hillson Award, said: “The launch of the 2023 competition follows the success of previous rounds of the Rowan Hillson Award competition, which highlighted innovations in prescription charts, hypoglycaemia reduction methods, pharmacy interventions, digital initiatives, education techniques, perioperative pathways and maintaining safety during COVID-19. “This will invite unique practices from different Trusts to maintain patient safety when vulnerable young people or frail people are being discharged from hospital with appropriate support structures.” He added: “We can then share these with other Trusts to adapt and adopt to improve patient safety everywhere.” The deadline is Tuesday, February 28, 2023. Dr Punith Kempegoda, from DEKODE and the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, was announced as the winner of the 2022 Rowan Hillson Inpatient Safety Award for creating a cloud-based DKA management monitoring system. To enter, click here to download the application form.