Nurse launches blog to combat rising tide of diabetes

Company news

Jun 09, 2014

A Care UK nurse has chosen National Diabetes Week (June 8-14) to launch an educational blog to help reverse the spiralling increase in diabetes.

Margaret Stubbs is a prescribing nurse and diabetes clinical lead at Guildhall Walk Healthcare Centre in Portsmouth, which comprises a registered GP surgery and walk-in centre run by independent health and social care provider Care UK, on behalf of the local NHS. In the past three years Margaret has seen the number of registered patients at the centre diagnosed with diabetes more than double, a statistic which has prompted her to act.

Margaret, who has 35 years nursing experience – the past 15 of those specialising in diabetes – said: “We need to do all we can to, initially, try and prevent people developing diabetes in the first place and, secondly, offer people diagnosed with the condition every assistance to help them control their diabetes.

“I will be writing a blog on our website which I hope will address the most important aspects of diabetes and offer people a facility to email me with their queries about managing their diabetes. As well as providing people with useful information and advice, the email facility will enable patients to receive a response without always needing a face-to-face consultation.”

As well as dealing with people diagnosed with diabetes, Margaret is sent patients whose blood tests deem them to be at risk of developing the condition. She added: “Prevention is so important. If we can encourage people at risk to change their lifestyle, that is far preferable to having to help people control the condition once they have it.”

Margaret’s blog can be accessed at guildhallwalkgp.nhs.uk/blog and more information about National Diabetes Week can be found on the Diabetes UK website.