The Paula Carr Diabetes Trust has won a prestigious national award for an innovative pilot service for diabetes patients living in Medway. The initiative triumphed in the Patient Care Pathway, Secondary and Community category, at the 2020 Quality in Care (QiC) Diabetes Awards, held virtually on Thursday 15 October.
Figures from the Public Health England diabetes heart profile show that patients with diabetes in Medway are 88.6% more likely to have a heart attack and 85.7% more likely to have a stroke than the general population. The eight-month pilot service across five GP practices, which was led by pharmacist Dr Abdul-Wahid Mohammad, has the potential to reduce the risk of these heart problems by about 50% through the holistic management of blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar levels and risk factors such as chronic kidney disease in these diabetes patients.
The award judges described the initiative as transformational, saying: “This is a fantastic idea that deserves to be championed, and a model that needs to be replicated elsewhere. The cost was small, but the difference made to patient care was enormous.”
Gary Fagg, Chairman of the Paula Carr Diabetes Trust, pictured here with Dr Mohammad, said: “We are delighted that our work with Dr Mohammad to improve patient care has been recognised with this prestigious award. It is well known that people with diabetes need to manage their blood sugar levels carefully. The results of this project prove that diabetes patients need support from all health professionals to look after their heart and kidney health too.”
Phase 2 of the service is due to start immediately to support patients during COVID-19 using innovative remote NHS digital technologies.