Innovative approach in diabetes care shortlisted for Diabetes Nursing Award
11 June 2026
OUH Diabetes Specialist Nurse and Clinical Lead for the Adult Service, Katie Hards, has been selected from a highly competitive field of nursing professionals across the UK as a finalist in the Diabetes Technology Nursing Award category of the Diabetes Nursing Awards 2026, sponsored by embecta and Roche Diagnostics.
The nomination follows work by Katie and her team to reduce inequalities for people with type 1 diabetes, and to improve access to hybrid closed-loop therapy (HCL), a combination of a pump and a glucose sensor that communicate with one another.
The number of people with type 1 diabetes, many who are aging and becoming frailer, has tripled since the 1990s, and this innovative approach has demonstrated significant benefits, with a potential for national impact.
The OUH Diabetes Team worked with District Nursing colleagues at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust to support a patient receiving insulin via a hybrid closed-loop system. This has aided in improving their overall glucose control and quality of life and reduced the number of visits the District Nurses needed to make each day.
This way of working has provided structured, planned care with optimisation of patients' glucose control.
District Nurses are strong advocates for HCL systems for eligible people, and are working with OUH to roll them out safely to some of our most vulnerable patients.
Among the key staff involved in this project have been Assistant Practitioners, who act as a 'bridge' between the hospital and District Nursing teams, sharing clinical expertise from the OUH Diabetes Service.
Katie Hards says:
"I have had the privilege of leading and developing this innovative way of working across both trusts, keeping the patient at the centre of what we do.
"We are very proud to have led this change in service delivery, which will also improve our service for patient groups who often face inequalities in healthcare."
The OUH project is shortlisted alongside teams from Ealing in North West London, Anglia and Swansea.
Emily Mayhew, organiser of the Diabetes Nursing Awards says:
"Each year, the Diabetes Nursing Awards shine a light on the extraordinary work being delivered by nurses across the UK and this year's finalists are no exception."
The awards ceremony will take place on Friday 10 July 2026 in Nottingham, and we wish Katie and her colleagues every success.
For more information about the Diabetes Nursing Awards, please visit:
Finalists announced for Diabetes Nursing Awards 2026 - Diabetes Times
Pictured: Katie Hards
