Nurse from Devon wins £200k prize for innovative diabetes treatment pathway

Margaret Shepherd, a nurse from Devon, has won a £200,000 prize for her innovative approach to diabetes care. Shepherd, who works at the North Devon Diabetes Service, won the NHS Innovation Challenge Prize for Diabetes for developing a new treatment pathway that aims to reduce the time between diagnosis and treatment initiation. Shepherd’s approach uses a combination of telemedicine, education and community care to streamline the process. Margaret Shepherd, from Exeter, was left “shaking” after winning the Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award 2023 on International Nurses Day on Friday.

The pathway involves nurses making use of telemedicine to provide more frequent and convenient check-ins with patients, enabling them to get feedback and advice on managing their condition. Patients are also given access to an online education programme, which helps them to understand their condition and manage it effectively. Community support groups are also available, which provide a social network for people with diabetes and enable them to access peer support.

The prize was awarded by NHS England, which recognised Shepherd’s approach as a significant step forward in diabetes care. Shepherd said that she was “humbled” by the award and hoped that her approach would help to improve outcomes for patients across the country. She added that the award was a “fantastic endorsement” of the importance of nursing in healthcare innovation.

Diabetes is a major public health challenge in the UK, affecting over 4 million people. It is estimated that 1 in 3 people with diabetes do not know that they have the condition, highlighting the importance of early diagnosis and treatment. Shepherd’s approach has been shown to significantly reduce the time between diagnosis and treatment initiation, improving outcomes for patients and reducing the risk of complications.

Re-reported from the story originally published in Sky News.