Diabetes patients at Maidstone Hospital are benefiting from two newly-converted spaces, allowing specialist teams to see more patients and offer an increased level of support to those with the condition.

The specialist diabetes service at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (MTW) cares for a population of around 27,000 across west Kent. This includes patients who have been admitted to hospital and those who require follow-up care after discharge, those needing support managing diabetes during pregnancy, and all aspects of type 1 diabetes management, such as dose adjustments, education and dietitian support.

Angela Murphy, MTW’s Lead Diabetes Clinical Nurse Specialist, said: “The refurbishment has turned out better than expected and we are delighted to have the additional space so that we can now offer an improved service to our patients.”

The project has been made possible thanks to the generous support of the Paula Carr Diabetes Trust, which was set up in 1989 and supports people living with the condition across Kent and Medway. The Trust has played a pivotal role in the development of MTW’s diabetes service over the years, including funding the initial building and creation of the Diabetes Centre at Maidstone Hospital.

The Paula Carr Diabetes Trust has also supported a two-year specialist diabetes nurse training programme, which aims to give nurses with transferrable skills an additional pathway into the role. This comes at a time of a national shortage of diabetes nurse specialists in the UK, and MTW are grateful for the Paula Carr Diabetes Trust’s help in enabling us to continue to deliver safe and effective care for our patients across the west Kent area.