12 60 seconds with… Avril Beesley Nurse in the BH and CFH paediatric diabetes team Tell me a bit about your role I am one of five nurses in the team, along with dietitians, clinical psychologists, doctors and admin support. We look after children with diabetes – mostly type 1 but we do see children with type 2 – and currently have about 250 families in our care. The role involves helping children through their diagnosis and showing them that diabetes is manageable once they have experience and commit to learning the nature of the condition. We bring hope; it can be quite traumatic for a child to get a diagnosis, and we support the whole family through that in a positive way. How did you get into this role? I previously worked in adult nursing. When I came back from a career break after having children, I did a returning to nursing course and got really interested in paediatrics. A role came up in this area in another hospital, and then I moved to the RFL in 2018. Since that time, funding for insulin pumps and blood glucose sensors for children has become the norm, so we are really lucky to work in an area that has the funding and technology to support our patients. This is automating parts of diabetes management and making life a bit less stressful for our families. What would you say to someone who is thinking of a career in this area? I would tell them that it is incredibly varied and rewarding. We really get to know our patients, as they stay with our team until they are 19-years-old. Because we are able to get in early and educate the patient, families and schools on how to best manage diabetes, results show that these children can go on to become healthy adults. What are the most significant challenges in your role? A paediatric diabetes diagnosis impacts the whole family, so you really need everyone to get on board with supporting the child. With that, you come up against language barriers, lack of engagement or parents not being comfortable with technology. For example, part of monitoring the pump involves calculations – we train them and help them get to grips with that. Experts say it takes about a year to understand diabetes as you need to get through the first holiday, the first Christmas, or the first Eid – whatever it is that applies to the family. Changes in lifestyle and food production are also leading to more type 2 diabetes diagnoses, which can be linked to socioeconomic conditions. These are all factors that influence the care we provide. The most important thing is to challenge stigma and be positive as much as possible, because diabetes is manageable. What is the proudest moment of your career? Last year, our team won the group RFL Oscar for clinical team of the year. We got that for improving access for patients and finding solutions such as interpreters and alternative training methods for families where English is a second language. We were delighted to be recognised as there are so many people you need to engage with like GPs, schools and parents. How do you like to unwind away from work? I am quite active. I love Argentinian tango so I do that a couple of times a week. I have also recently got interested in pottery, and I play badminton. Taking care of your wellbeing Every day, our staff go above and beyond to care for our patients. Please take the time to also look after your own wellbeing: • 24/7 helpline (out of hours) contact Care First on 0800 174319 (24/7) service) for emotional and psychological support or access online via carefirst-lifestyle.co.uk; login details can be found on Freenet • Contact the Samaritans (on 116 123), NHS Helpline (111) or your GP • Cost of living worries can have a huge impact on our mental health – visit our financial wellbeing page on Freenet • Visit Freenet for a range of resources, information and other wellbeing tips
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