Consultant shortlisted for Diabetes Professional of the Year at national awards ceremony
We are delighted to announce that Associate Professor and Honorary Consultant in Diabetes, Dr Emma Wilmot, has been shortlisted for a national award for her work to use technology to help people with diabetes to manage their condition with greater ease.
Dr Wilmot has been shortlisted for the Quality in Care (QiC) Diabetes Awards for Professional of the Year following a glowing nomination from a colleague working elsewhere in the NHS.
Over the years, Dr Wilmot has been involved in extensive research and improvement works aiming to make the daily lives of people living with diabetes easier through the use of technology - such as through the use of sensors to monitor glucose levels to remove the need for patients to test themselves using finger-prick blood tests.
The nomination was submitted by a colleague working elsewhere in the NHS, who stated that Dr Wilmot has "worked tirelessly and passionately to help bring technology into everyday use in the UK with great benefit to people with type 1 diabetes", working continuously to improve the access people have to these potentially life-changing innovations.
The nomination continued: "Dr Wilmot has a long track record in assessing the benefits of diabetes technology for people with type 1 diabetes and improving access to these technologies nationally.
"She created and led the Diabetes Technology Network UK which has provided support for health care professionals using diabetes technology through guidelines and education. Her impact has transformed the lives of people with type 1 diabetes across the country."
Despite her amazing work which continues to benefit patients across the country, Dr Wilmot said the news was not something she expected:
"It was a big surprise to me as I had no idea I'd been nominated - so when I saw the notifications on social media, you can imagine my shock! I was then at a conference in Edinburgh and it was announced to all of the attendees that I'd be shortlisted which was really lovely.
"I've had lots of lovely messages and it's lovely to see the work appreciated in this way."
Type 1 diabetes causes blood sugar levels (glucose) to become too high as your body cannot produce insulin - the hormone responsible for controlling blood sugar. This means that people with diabetes need to take insulin every day to try to keep their glucose levels within a normal range.
To try to achieve this they have to regularly check their blood sugar levels by taking a small blood sample from their finger up to 10 times a day, something which Dr Wilmot says can be a huge a burden for people living with diabetes.
Through her work, Dr Wilmot also aims to support people with diabetes to access medical devices that automate insulin delivery (closed loop systems), meaning they can go about their daily lives and not have to worry about their blood sugar levels as much, which can have a huge impact on their quality of life.
Dr Wilmot explained: "To someone who doesn't have to think about these things, it may seem fairly innocuous, but people living with diabetes really have to think about their diabetes around the clock which is exhausting. We desperately need to find ways to make living with Type 1 diabetes easier – and this is why I'm committed to doing everything I can to support people to access diabetes technologies.
"In 2016, I founded Diabetes Technology Network UK in a bid to help more people with diabetes have access to technology which helps make their daily lives that bit easier. I have been leading and advocating for this nationally ever since and the network now has over 1,500 members; we run educational events and provide online resources for both those working in healthcare and also people with diabetes.”
"I've also been heavily involved in lots of research trials in this area. I had the privilege of being part of the Flash UK trial team – we analysed the impact of glucose sensors in people with type 1 diabetes in a randomised controlled trial which showed substantial benefits. This research was published in the New England Journal of Medicine last year which was a fantastic achievement for our team."
Find out more about the Flash UK trial on our website >
Dr Wilmot will find out if she has won the award at a ceremony on Thursday 12 October in Reading.