East Surrey Hospital awarded prestigious prize for hypo safety campaign

A Surrey diabetes team has won a distinguished national award for raising awareness of hypoglycaemia.

East Surrey Hospital part of the Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust has been presented with the Hypo Awareness Week Excellence Award for educating healthcare professionals during the week-long annual campaign which ran from Monday, October 3, to Sunday, October 9.

Hypo Awareness Week was first staged locally in hospitals in Portsmouth in April 2012 before being rolled out nationally by NHS Diabetes in the following August. The Excellence Awards recognise initiatives that improve the quality of life for people living with diabetes.

This year’s winning team picked up the accolade, beating off 12 other finalists, during a virtual awards ceremony on Monday, November 14.

Jerome Ramos, Diabetes Inpatient Clinical Nurse Specialist at the East Surrey Hospital, said: “I would like to send my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has helped and participated with us celebrating Hypo Awareness Week 2022 from doctors, nurses, pharmacists, nurse assistants and even our colleagues from allied health. Without you this would not be possible.”

Judges praised the Trust’s approach to spreading the Hypo Awareness Week message, which included a short advert highlighting the dangers of a hypo with the slogan ‘Feel. Act. Stop’.

As part of Hypo Awareness Week, the team also delivered training sessions on the Joint British Diabetes Societies (JBDS) for Inpatient Care Group’s managing hypos guidance and made sure that all departments across the Trust were provided with a hypo box with all the necessary contents inside.

Jerome added: “I would like to take the opportunity to say that I have enjoyed and learned so much working with my diabetes and endocrinology colleagues at East Surrey Hospital and I am pleased that we have won this year’s event before I embark on a new challenge. Special thanks to my mentor Lorna Keegan who has supported me throughout.’’

A total of 369 sites made up of hospitals, medical centres, care homes and pharmacies across the UK and Ireland took part in this year’s campaign sponsored by Sanofi.

The annual campaign gives healthcare professionals and the diabetes community the opportunity to discuss hypoglycaemia in hospitals and primary care settings.

Rebecca Reeve, Head of Customer Engagement & Professional Relations, UK and Ireland General Medicines at Sanofi, said: “Hypoglycaemia can be extremely problematic for people living with diabetes so spreading awareness about the complication is crucial.

“It is a pleasure to recognise, reward and celebrate the great work carried out by the diabetes team at the East Surrey Hospital.”

To watch the winning team’s Hypo Awareness Week advert, click here.

Hypo Awareness Week was organised by Orange Juice Communications and has been funded by Sanofi who have had no input into any arrangements or content.

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