Derriford's outpatient diabetes service transforming care for patients
Linda Hall, 74, from Plymouth, is living proof of the transformative impact of personalised patient care. After years of struggling with her health and mobility as a diabetic, Linda’s life turned a corner thanks to the outstanding support of the Planned Diabetes Service at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust (UHP) and the expertise and dedication of Diabetes Specialist Nurse (DSN) Carolyn Folds.
Linda first encountered the team when her blood sugar levels soared to 30. Linda had until then avoided the invitation to attend her GP’s diabetic clinic. "I thought I was invincible," she admits. It was then that she encountered the service and came into Carolyn’s care.
“She’s my saviour,” Linda says. “Carolyn taught me how to understand my diabetes and manage it day-to-day. She explained what to eat, what to avoid, and how to recognise when my levels were up. Now, it’s no extras, no naughtiness!”
Carolyn’s expertise and compassion helped Linda through some of her toughest times. Persistent issues with high blood sugar levels delayed her desperately needed hip operation multiple times. “The pain was so intense, I’d cry,” Linda recalls. “At times like that, I’d call Carolyn. She calmed me down, talked me through it, and gave me advice on what to eat. But my levels kept going up, and every time I went to pre-op, they said it was a UTI.”
But Carolyn knew it wasn’t a UTI, and advocating for her patient, Carolyn wrote to the consultant, explaining that the bacteria showing up in Linda’s tests was always present and should not prevent the surgery. Her persistence paid off. “The consultant agreed I should have the operation, all because of Carolyn’s letter,” Linda says.
The surgery was a success, and the aftercare was exceptional. “I don’t know where I’d be without that hip operation,” Linda shares. “I was on the verge of serious depression. I’d had a seven-year period of agoraphobia where I didn’t leave the house. Thanks to the operation, I learned to drive again, and now I can visit my daughter and go shopping. It’s given me my life back.”
Carolyn’s support didn’t stop there. After Linda’s second hip replacement, Carolyn called her weekly, providing encouragement and reassurance. “She kept me going,” Linda says. “Carolyn understands me and diabetics through and through. She’s amazing.”
Today, Linda continues to manage her diabetes with confidence, crediting the Planned Diabetes Service for the vital role it played. “The diabetes team is my everything,” she says.
For Carolyn Folds and her colleagues at UHP’s Planned Diabetes Service, Linda’s story is a testament to the value of personalised, holistic patient care. Derriford Hospital is one of the few in the country with a dedicated team of DSNs supporting patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes through every stage of their planned surgery journey.
“She calls me her success story,” Linda says, smiling. Thanks to the care she has received from Carolyn and the Planned Diabetes Service, Linda has reclaimed her independence and is importantly now able to better manage her own health. Find out more about Plymouth Diabetes Outpatient service.
