Ealing Hospital’s paediatric diabetes team has been shortlisted for a top nursing award for the second consecutive year, in recognition of its work supporting young diabetes patients across the borough.
The team is up for Paediatric Nurse of the Year at the 2025 Diabetes Nursing Awards, which celebrate nurses who have made a significant difference to the lives of children and young people living with diabetes in the UK.
The ceremony takes place on 6 June 2025 at The Radisson Blu Hotel in Bloomsbury.
Much of the team’s recognition stems from its success in encouraging more children to adopt insulin pumps – devices that automatically deliver insulin and allow hospital staff to remotely monitor blood sugar levels.
Nurse Gillian Adams said: “The pumps allows Type One patients to better manage their condition on a day-to-day basis and we can monitor their condition from the hospital.”
Nurse Adams has noted a rise in the number of young patients using the technology. She said: “We are seeing a noticeable rise in children with Type One diabetes although there is still no definitive answer on why they are diagnosed with the condition. We had five children on pumps five years ago but now 131 Type One diabetes patients on our books with 112 of those using pumps.”
The Ealing nurse also praised how rapidly the devices have improved: “It’s extraordinary how quickly the technology has evolved with the pumps – which are fixed to the tummy, arms, legs or buttocks – becoming smaller and more sophisticated.”
The multilingual team – who speak seven languages – uses a soft toy called Rufus the Bear to help explain pump technology to younger children in a way that’s easy to understand.
Reflecting on the nomination, Nurse Adams added: “We took on board the judging panel’s feedback from last year about making the application more detailed so threw everything at this year’s application. They came back this year and described our submission as outstanding so hopefully it is second time lucky for us.”
