Marie Marshall - Chair
Contact: marie.marshall@cmft.nhs.uk
Marie became co-ordinator of the RCN Children’s and Young Peoples Diabetes Community, (RCN CYPDC) in January 2011, following a three year period working as a community member.
She qualified as a registered children's nurse in 1994 after completing her general nurse training in 1992. She made the decision to specialise in the care of children, young people and their families living with diabetes in 1998 and became a Paediatric Diabetes Nurse Specialist.
In 2000, Marie completed her BSc Specialist Practitioner Degree from which she developed an interest in research. In 2004 she enrolled as a part time MPhil/PhD student, to pursue her clinical research interest which relates to the meanings and perceptions children and their parents ascribe to living with diabetes. She was awarded her PhD in December 2009.
Amanda Mackin - Secretary
Contact: amanda.mackin@mcht.nhs.uk
Amanda qualified as a registered children’s nurse in 2000 after studying at the University of Central Lancashire. She worked on general paediatric wards until 2006, when she undertook a community rotation post. Amanda was introduced to paediatric diabetes following a three month experience in general children’s community nursing.
Amanda completed a Bsc (Hons) Acute Child Care degree in 2007 and a postgraduate award in children’s diabetes at Warwick University in 2010. She moved into a permanent part-time position as Paediatric Diabetes Specialist Nurse at Leighton Hospital in 2009.
Amanda joined the RCN CYPDC as a co-opted member in 2010 and is now a full member.
Carole Gelder
Contact: carole.gelder@leedsth.nhs.uk
Carole graduated in 1997 and completed an MSc award at the University of Huddersfield in 2005. She currently has a dual role as a Children's Diabetes Nurse Specialist at Leeds and as a lecturer in diabetes at the University of York, co-leading the CYP diabetes module and insulin pump therapy modules.
Carole’s main clinical interests are in intensive diabetes management (particularly insulin pump therapy), continuous glucose monitoring and psychoeducational interventions. She is the main contributor to the first nationally available Insulin pump workbook for families which achieved the Gold at the Quality in Care (QiC) awards 2011.
She joined the RCN CYP Diabetes community in 2010.
Katie Beddows
Contact: katie.beddows@stockport.nhs.uk
Katie qualified as a post registration sick children’s nurse in 1990, Katie subsequently completed her Bsc (Hons) in the Professional Practice of Nursing in 1999 whilst working as a ward manager at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.
Developing her multiagency working into the wider community, Katie’s experience in her next role as a Child Protection Liaison Nurse, working across the two sites of the then Manchester Children’s Hospitals has been invaluable in her current role of Paediatric Diabetes Specialist Nurse at Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport. Shortly after commencing working in this post in 2003, she also completed the degree level Management of Childhood Diabetes modules at Birmingham.
Katie has been a Core Group member of the RCN CYP Diabetes Community for 3 years. Katie is currently representing the RCN CYP DC and PDSNs nationally as a member of the Project Board of the National Paediatric Diabetes Audit (NPDA), based at the RCPCH, during this exciting development phase of the Audit tool.
Louise Collins
Contact: louise.collins@dgc.nhs.uk
Louise qualified as a children’s in 2001, graduating with a BNurs (hons) from the University of Birmingham. Following four years of children’s nursing in Birmingham, she developed a special interest in diabetes. From there she moved to work as a diabetes liaison nurse in another part of Birmingham, undertaking the management of diabetes degree module.
In 2007 Louise took on the role of a pediatrics diabetes specialist nurse in Dudley and set up a children's diabetes service. In 2008 she became a co-opted member of the RCN CYP Diabetes Community.
Grace Parfitt
Contact: grace.parfitt@wales.nhs.uk
Grace qualified as a registered sick children’s nurse in 1978 and has seen many developments in children’s nursing since then. She has worked in various settings since qualifying; her last acute post being on the adolescent unit. She finds working with this age group both challenging and rewarding.
After acting as a diabetes link nurse on the wards she was lucky to have a secondment as a paediatric diabetes specialist nurse in 1996, leading to a permanent post in 1998. Grace completed a BSc in community studies in 2005, an MSc in clinical practice in 2008, and has been an independent prescriber since 2010. She is committed to providing a high standard of care to children and young people with diabetes.
Grace has a special interest in improving support for children in school. She is also committed to improving the delivery of diabetes education to children and their families and has been fortunate to be involved with her team, in developing education resources which are used locally, nationally and internationally.
Grace became a co-opted member of the RCN CYP Diabetes Community in 2011.