Diabetes team wins Quality in Care Award
The Hillingdon Hospitals Children and Young People with Diabetes (CYPD) team are celebrating after being given a prestigious award for transforming patient experience for those with neurodiversity and mental health needs.
They won the Unsung Hero category at the Quality in Care Diabetes Awards, which celebrate excellence and innovation in diabetes care across the UK.
Judges praised our staff for listening to families and acting on feedback that highlighted challenges with their current service. The clinic environment, appointment length, and the number of professionals present were identified as barriers for some patients.
In response, our CYPD team introduced the following improvements to help ensure that their service was more inclusive and patient-friendly:
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Minimising the number of professionals and ensuring consistency of staff caring for each patient
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Removing the waiting room so patients are able to go directly into one room for the duration of their visit
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A structured programme of health checks across the year
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Tailored resources to support individual needs
Since implementing these changes, our team has received positive comments from service users.
Catherine Tapping, paediatric diabetes nurse consultant, said: "This award recognises the heart of our work- creating a clinic where children and young people living with diabetes, neurodiversity and mental health challenges feel understood, respected and safe. We are incredibly proud as it reflects our commitment to shaping care around the individual needs of each young person."