SWBH Consultant becomes diabetes Clinical Champion

There is a diabetes crisis in the UK – some four million people are living with the condition, including 549,000 who don’t realise it as they haven’t yet been diagnosed.  It’s against this backdrop that Dr Parijat De, Consultant in Diabetes and Endocrinology at SWBH, has been appointed as a Clinical Champion for Diabetes UK.

 A total of 18 Clinical Champions have been selected by the charity this year based on their skills, clinical expertise, passion and integrity – and their potential to make a real difference by delivering tangible improvements in care for people with diabetes.  Each, like Parijat, will serve as a Champion  for two years.

Parijat said: “I‘m delighted to have been selected as a Diabetes UK Clinical Champion – it’s a real honour.

“The number of people developing diabetes is growing at an alarming rate and we have to think creatively about how we support them.

“The major benefit of bringing together Clinical Champions from across community, primary and secondary care is that it allows a unique kind of multi-disciplinary working among clinicians from across the diabetes care pathway. People can step outside their local perspective and really engage with the changes needed across diabetes care.

“I’m hoping to improve in-patient diabetes care by focusing on education and upskilling diabetes knowledge of our nursing staff and junior doctors. This will hopefully empower them sufficiently to improve overall diabetes management and reduce insulin errors in the hospital.”

Chris Askew, Chief Executive of Diabetes UK, commented: “Clinicians are uniquely well placed to identify improvements needed to diabetes services but are all too often left frustrated and unable to deliver this change. However, this programme empowers Clinical Champions to drive change and gives them access to a network of like-minded clinicians who they can share challenges with.

“There’s clear evidence that investment in better diabetes care brings about both human and economic benefit. As such the Champions are playing a critical role in promoting and delivering innovative and life-changing best practice.”