Nurses are world leaders with new support for children with diabetes

Paediatric Diabetes Clinical Nurses Mena Gilbert and Joanne Titchen

Mena Gilbert and Joanne Titchen, pioneering children’s diabetes specialist nurses in Rochdale, are the first in the world to use a new insulin pump to help young people manage their condition.

The two Paediatric Diabetes Specialist Nurses, working within Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, worked closely with Roche Diabetes Care to use their new ‘Accu-Chek Insight’ insulin pumps with two 17-year-old service users, Ella Hodges and Hannah Kenton.

The pump includes an innovative touch screen remote control handset and newly developed prefilled insulin cartridges which aim to make administering insulin easier for the users.
Research shows using an insulin pump can help reduce instances of high blood sugars and associated hospital admissions.

The Specialist Nurses from Pennine Care received support from Roche to trial the new system in an ‘early access programme’ which allowed them to offer Accu-Chek Insight insulin pump therapy four months before it is released nationally in February 2015.

This meant Ella and Hannah were the first young people in the world to use the new pumps outside of medical trials.

Ella, a student at Rochdale Sixth Form, said the new pump and it’s pre-filled insulin cartridges made her feel more confident about managing her condition.

She said: “It’s great, it’s really quick to use and maintain compared to the one I was using before.”

Hannah, who is studying at Oldham Sixth Form, added: “It definitely makes me feel more confident about going to university, it’s easier to manage.”

Lead Paediatric Diabetes Clinical Nurse Specialist Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale for Pennine Care, Mena Gilbert, said she and colleague Joanne Titchen had now introduced the new pump to other children in the service.

She said: “We were delighted to be offered the opportunity to be the first paediatric team in the world to launch the new pump which will help the children and young people and their families to manage their diabetes and insulin administration more easily.”

“There has been really positive feedback from both Ella and Hannah. They have both stated that they will now feel more confident about managing their diabetes when at university.”

The Paediatric Diabetes Team supports around 80 children and young people in Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale to manage their diabetes, improve their health and avoid unnecessary hospital admissions.