Diabetes boost for patients in East Lancashire

A donation from the Euro Garages Group is helping diabetes sufferers in East Lancashire.
Diabetes Specialist Nurse Anne Gibson , Maria Issa, Wendy Higginson, Diabetes Specialist  Podiatrist Peter Reston, DSN Nichola Hughes and Diabetes Specialist podiatrist Gill LomaxDiabetes Specialist Nurse Anne Gibson , Maria Issa, Wendy Higginson, Diabetes Specialist  Podiatrist Peter Reston, DSN Nichola Hughes and Diabetes Specialist podiatrist Gill Lomax
Diabetes Specialist Nurse Anne Gibson , Maria Issa, Wendy Higginson, Diabetes Specialist Podiatrist Peter Reston, DSN Nichola Hughes and Diabetes Specialist podiatrist Gill Lomax

The donation supports the £1m. Appeal launched at the beginning of the year by East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust charity, ELHT&Me.

Diabetes specialist nurses and the diabetes foot specialists demonstrated to Maria Issa, of Euro Garages, how iPads and Doppler machines, donated by the Group, are impacting on the service and patients.

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Nicky Nuttall, integrated diabetes team leader said: “Thanks to Euro Garages, we can now see more patients more quickly and provide a higher quality of service.

“The iPads mean we have information at our fingertips giving us more face to face contact time. The new Doppler ultrasound machines enable us to expand our use of this method of examination which is more accurate and less invasive.”

Maria Issa said: “It is very satisfying to see how our donation is being put to such good use. Diabetes affects such a large number of people and it can be very debilitating. I am glad we have been able to help.’

The Integrated Diabetes Services supports the prevention of diabetes and helps patients and their families/carers to understand and self-manage their condition. Staff are now using the donated Doppler equipment to scan arteries in the patient’s feet.

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In the first nine months of 2018, the Inpatient Specialist Diabetes Team treated 1,036 patients while the Trust’s Foot Diabetes Specialists visited 2,232 patients across Blackburn with Darwen and East Lancashire, the majority of who live with Type 2 diabetes. The condition can be controlled through healthy eating, maintaining a healthy weight and in some cases medication.

“Generous donations such as this one by Euro Garages make a huge difference for our patients. It means we can improve the hospital environment, buy state-of-the-art medical equipment, fund research and teaching and helping us to go way beyond the NHS standard,” ELHT&Me fund-raising manager Denise Gee said.

Individuals and companies keen to support the appeal can call the charity team on 01254 732140 to make a donation.