'WICKED' team shortlisted for Nursing Times award
A 'WICKED' team from Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have been shortlisted in the 2012 Nursing Times Awards.
Kay Bottrell and Vanessa Whitehead, Diabetes Specialist Nurses for Young People, have been shortlisted in the Child and Adolescent services category for creating a pioneering new course for young adults with type 1 diabetes: 'Working with Insulin, Carbs, Ketones and Exercise to manage Diabetes’ (WICKED).
Kay and Vanessa developed the structured education course around their understanding of the challenges and lifestyle decisions that young people with Type 1 diabetes face which often prevents them managing their diabetes effectively leading to serious long term effects on their health.
Following an in-depth examination of the needs of young adults with Type 1 diabetes conducted by a team from the Dept of Psychology at the University of Sheffield, the nurses have developed an age specific course teaching the skills of diabetes self management for this age group. Rebekah Beer, adolescent dietitian helped to develop the dietetic components and was also supported by Clare Gibson, Project Manager for CLAHRC-SY Diabetes and Resource Illustrator of WICKED, who designed age appropriate tools to help encourage the young people to engage with the service and take ownership of their condition.
Kay Bottrell, Diabetes Specialist Nurse for Young People, Creator & Educator of WICKED, said: "We are delighted and honoured to be a finalist for the Nursing Times Award which acknowledges the hard work we have put in to creating, developing and delivering the WICKED course. We would also like to recognise the input and support we have received throughout from our colleagues within NIHR CLAHRC South Yorkshire, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Sheffield."
WICKED is delivered in informal settings and addresses everyday common issues such as sex, drugs, alcohol and exam stress that may affect diabetes management. The programme is already benefiting patients transitioning from paediatric to adult care in Sheffield and staff hope it can be evaluated across S Yorkshire in advance of a national trial to establish its effectiveness.
Chloe Duff, aged 18, from Gleadless, Sheffield, is a student at Castle College. She attended the course two weeks after being diagnosed with the condition. Chole said: “I learnt a lot about all the things that can affect my diabetes that relate to my age group, it really put my mind at ease. It was fun to learn with other young people – we had a good laugh and made new friends.”
The Child and Adolescent services category recognises commitment to empowering adolescents and ensuring they receive age appropriate care. The awards will be held on Wednesday 31 October at London's Hilton Hotel.
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