Meet the team

RCN Diabetes Nursing Forum Steering Committee

Keith Booles

I lecture at Staffordshire University, teaching in pre-registration programmes as well as running both degree and diploma programmes in diabetes care and management for health care professionals in Shropshire, Staffordshire and beyond.

I have been a member of the Diabetes Forum steering committee for three years now and in that time have worked on a number of projects, ranging from organising diabetes nursing conferences to carrying out a national audit of diabetes care in UK prisons - this was in response to a member's request in this care area.

I have helped develop the forum website and its links to useful resources for all those involved in the care of people with diabetes.

I also bring a personal perspective to the committee as I have been an insulin dependent diabetic since childhood and can see both sides of the care sphere.

I enjoy the challenges arising in this role and will continue to strive to ensure gold standard care for all persons affected by diabetes. Together with the new committee members, I am looking forward to developing excellence in diabetes nursing practice in all care environments.

Email address is k.d.booles@staffs.ac.uk

Constance Johnson

I like to think of myself as a capable and well-qualified nurse, experienced in management and clinical skills. I hold as BSc in Health Care Management and a Diploma in Gerontology, as well as having completed various specialist training courses.

For many years I have worked in acute and long term care, and as a ward sister in midwifery in the NHS, in addition to being a nursing sister in the private sector. Further, I have worked in chronic disease management and as a practice nurse,with diabetes as a speciality.

I have written several documents, as yet unpublished, dealing with issues and innovations in nursing care:
• Mentoring the newly qualified staff nurse
• Falls in the older person (exploring the biological, psychological and
social factors)
• Risk factors in diabetes (with the aim of developing a help line).

Email address is constance.johnson@uhcw.nhs.uk

Theresa Smyth

I qualified as a nurse in 1990, working with patients with diabetes from the onset of my clinical career. I am now a nurse consultant for diabetes in the University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, which delivers diabetes care to the local population and specialist services, such as supra-regional liver and renal transplant units.

My role is divided between:
• strategic planning
• developing, managing and leading diabetes nursing services in the trust
• providing education programmes to diverse audiences in both the trust and higher education institutions
• leading clinical practice and research development.

The increasing incidence of diabetes in the UK and the impact of this condition on all aspects of the personal and public health mean that the nursing profession needs to - and can - contribute and lead services from date of diagnosis to palliative care.

Joining the RCN Diabetes Forum committee affords me the opportunity to contribute to and develop initiatives that improve diabetes care while also promoting the forum's presence and profile as an articulate and active resource for its members and the broader nursing and inter-professional community.

Email address is theresa.smyth@uhb.nhs.uk

Muilli Lawal

Muili Lawal

In my post at Thames Valley University, London, I am responsible for teaching, supporting and assessing students.

As a lecturer with special interest in diabetes care, my recent publications in this clinical area are:
• Lawal M and Maggill-Cuerden J (2010) Implementation of diabetes education policy in a PCT in South East of England: exploring barriers and prospects, Diabetic Medicine, 27, supplement 1, p. 114.
• Lawal M (2009) Diabetes: a guide to glucose meters, British Journal of Healthcare Assistants, 3 (94), pp. 171-175.
• Lawal M (2008) Management of diabetes in clinical practice, British Journal of Nursing, 17 (1), pp. 1106 -1113.

In addition to my work in education, I maintain clinical links with several diabetes centres.

Because of my interest in promoting diabetes care, I am currently undertaking research to explore the barriers associated with the uptake of group diabetes education. Also, I am currently editing the e-newsletter for the RCN Diabetes Forum.

Email address is muili.lawal@tvu.ac.uk

Siobhan Pender

Siabhon Pender

I qualified as a registered nurse 21 years ago and my career has enabled me to work with all age groups and in both primary and secondary settings in the UK and abroad. For the last 14 years I have specialised in diabetes and I currently work in an inner city hospital serving a diverse, ethically mixed population.

My particular areas of interest are:
• newly diagnosed patients
• transitional care for young people
• insulin pump therapy.

I have also developed and established structured group diabetes education for adults, teenagers and patients commencing insulin pump therapy.

A further overarching interest in recent years is how to enable other nurses to develop a passion for diabetes. I believe we all require advanced skills in dealing with this long term condition. As the prevalence of type 2 diabetes reaches epidemic proportions and the numbers of children and adults with type 1 diabetes continues to rise, I have come to recognise that caring for, educating and supporting individuals who live with diabetes is a skill needed by all nurses.

Through the RCN Diabetes Forum, we can work towards this goal by reaching out to nurses and signposting the resources they need to care for and support their patients in self managing diabetes.

Email address is siobhan.pender@gstt.sthames.nhs.uk

Grace Vanterpool

I have been nursing across secondary and primary care for over 30 years, the past 19 of them as a diabetes specialist nurse and the past three as a nurse consultant. I also lecture on diabetes at two universities.

I am currently the only African Caribbean nurse consultant in diabetes in the UK and it's amazing really, because diabetes affects all people, but particularly African Caribbean and Asian people.

Sitting on the Professional Executive Committee in the Hammersmith & Fulham PCT, I represent nursing and diabetes as well as the Black and Minority Ethnic Group Forum, ensuring that policies and issues around diversity are addressed.

I have received several awards for services to diabetes nursing and also to ethnic minorities, among them:

• 2003 NHS and Kings Fund Champions Award Services to diabetes patients
• 2004 Chief Executive Award (Thames Valley)
• 2005 Nursing Standard Community Nurse of the Year
• 2006 (March) Nursing Standard Nurse of the Year (overall award)
• 2006 MBE in the Birthday Honours List

Watch a video of Grace discussing her work on the NHS Choices website.

Email address is grace.vanterpool@hf-pct.nhs.uk