Hundreds of diabetes specialist nurses gather at inaugural live event

More than 200 delegates from across the UK attended the first in person meeting organised by the Diabetes Specialist Nurse (DSN) Forum.

Held at the Mary Ward House Conference Centre in central London, on Friday, October 13, this inaugural event took place after huge demand from members of the DSN Forum for a face-to-face meeting.

Members helped shape the agenda for this one-day event, which sought to share best evidence-based practice, discover new research, shine a light on the UK’s diabetes specialist nurse community and enable networking and knowledge sharing.

This free-to-attend event was made possible through sponsorship from Menarini, Bayer, Dexcom, Abbott, Glooko, Embecta, JDRF, Diabetes UK and Swansea University Medical School.

The national event attracted presentations from the most well-respected figures in the diabetes arena.

Professor Partha Kar set the tone for the event with an address, saying: “Passion and belief are so important, and nurses are crucial: you help us keep the patient at the centre of our care. If you fight for our patients, you’re always in my good books.”

He went on to encourage nurses to seek and apply for senior NHS jobs, emphasising that these roles are not just for doctors: “Nurses do 80 per cent of the work in diabetes care. You need to be at the table.”

Professor Gerry Rayman delivered a session on a programme within the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) project to deliver better outcomes for people with diabetes undergoing surgery.

Delegates also heard from Professor Helen Murphy, of the University of East Anglia, who shared insights into the optimal management of diabetes and pregnancy, including the rapid growth in youth-onset type 2 diabetes.

Dr Helen Partridge, Consultant in Diabetes at University Hospitals Dorset, shared a pilot study for supporting people with type 1 diabetes and eating disorders.

Consultant Pharmacist Philip Newland-Jones delivered a session entitled ‘Alpelisib – friend or foe’, where he explored the links between this cancer treatment and hyperglycaemia.

The afternoon was led by nursing colleagues, with a sponsored symposium, a panel session exploring the latest diabetes devices shared at EASD 2023, and presentations from the winners of the DSN Forum’s poster competition.

The final session of the day was presented by DSN Forum’s Amanda Epps, who talked through the UK’s first qualitative study on how diabetes wearable technology impacts sexual activity and behaviour – a subject often not addressed that deserves to be taken into consideration.

Amanda, Diabetes Specialist Nurse and founder of the DSN Forum said: “It’s been amazing to bring together so many attendees today.

“The appetite for an event of this kind is inspiring – we sold out all 250 places two weeks after announcing the event.”

She added: “It has been a fantastic event and so inspiring to hear our speakers pushing for more involvement of nurses in clinical leadership decisions. 

“100 per cent of attendees said they would recommend the event to their colleagues, so we are already starting to think about DSN Forum Live 2024.”

Sponsoring organisations had no editorial input into or control over the agenda, content development or choice of speakers other than the sponsored symposium.