Parents and students in RCT urged to nominate their school for good diabetes care award
Diabetes UK Cymru is urging parents and students in Rhondda Cynon Taf to nominate their schools for a special award for looking after children and young people with Type 1 diabetes.
The charity’s Good Diabetes Care in School Award is open to all schools in Wales. Schools can nominate themselves, or be nominated by parents and healthcare professionals. Winners will be chosen by an assessment panel, which includes parents and representatives from Diabetes UK. The winners will be announced later this year and early next year and will receive a trophy valid for two years.
It is vital that children and young people with diabetes receive good care in school to help them keep their blood glucose to target levels. In the short term, high or low blood glucose levels can make a child extremely unwell, and in the long-term, high blood glucose levels can increase risk of serious complications such as amputation, blindness and stroke later on in adult life. Supporting children to manage their diabetes well is also key to enabling them to get the best from their education and school activities.
The charity says that the Good Diabetes Care in School Award will show that good diabetes care in schools is achievable and share best practice amongst schools, helping to ensure that all students with diabetes achieve their full academic potential.
Recognising that some schools will have some concerns about how to support students with diabetes, as part of its Type 1 diabetes: Make the Grade Campaign, Diabetes UK has created free resources to help parents and schools get the right care in place. Along with this the charity has launched a Care in Schools Helpline to give parents of children and young people with Type 1 diabetes in Wales and across the UK information and support around the care their child is entitled to receive at school.
Diabetes UK Cymru’s Director Dai Williams said: “Many schools in Rhondda Cynon Taf are working really hard to ensure their students with Type 1 diabetes are not held back by their condition and have exactly the same opportunities as their peers without diabetes. We want to celebrate the achievements of these schools so we are calling on parents whose children are receiving good care and healthcare professionals in the area to nominate their schools.
“The Good Diabetes Care in School Award will also give an opportunity for us to share best practice across schools and help build strong relationships between schools. The fact that so many schools are doing a fantastic job supporting students with Type 1 diabetes shows that good care is achievable in all schools across Wales.”
Nominations for this year’s Good Diabetes Care in School Award open now until Thursday 16 June 2016.
For more information on the Good Diabetes Care in School Award visit: www.diabetes.org.uk/school-award
