New links with health facilities in South Africa have been set up through a trip undertaken by one of our Paediatric Diabetes Specialist Nurses – and it’s likely to lead to further exchange visits in the future.
James Paget Paediatric Diabetes Specialist Nurse Sister Gillian Macgregor-Linnett has returned from a visit to the Cape Town area of the country having taken part in educational workshops to support to health care staff, children with diabetes and their parents.
Twelve health professionals - including nurses, a doctor, dietitians and a psychologist - and a group of young people who are part of the East of England Children and Young People’s Diabetes Network headed to South Africa at the end of March with the aim of providing support to colleagues in the country and to give young patients the chance to experience a different culture.
Partnering with the Tygerberg Hospital, the second largest hospital in South Africa, the regional team provided an insight into diabetes care in the UK as well as taking part in workshops for parents and carers of children with Type 1 diabetes.
While the UK health care professionals met with their counterparts from around the greater Cape Town area for a two-day symposium on diabetes care, the young people painted an amazing tiger mural at one of the children’s wards at Tygerberg Hospital.
The trip also included a two-night camp with hospital staff and young people from South Africa who have diabetes, a party hosted by the visitors from East Anglia for young people at the St Joseph’s Home for Chronically Ill Children and some time for sightseeing, including visits to Table Mountain and to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela and many other political prisoners were incarcerated.
Gill said the visit had been an amazing experience.
“South Africa is an amazing country – it’s so beautiful and we had an incredible welcome from the health care staff and young people that we met. The health professionals there are doing a really good job with the resources they have – they cover a huge area and locations where there aren’t fridges to keep insulin cool for example – and are keeping their young people well.
“With some of the workshops with young patients we were able to show them how to inject themselves with insulin using ‘dummy tummies’ and we have left a number of these with the team so they can use these to demonstrate techniques.
“The welcome we had from the children at St Josephs was completely overwhelming, and the trip to Robben Island was very moving, learning about prisoners and what they went through – it was a really humbling experience.”
The trip has established links with health professionals at Tygerberg Hospital and it is hoped there will be a South Africa to UK exchange trip before another planned visit in 2026.
Gill plans to visit South Africa again in a personal capacity and will keep in touch with some of those she met with a view to providing further support in future.
“I would like to thank everyone who made a donation towards the visit as we managed to raise thousands of pounds to support the trip, which has been beneficial both for our young patients and young people in South Africa.”
Our photos show various images from the trip including Gill with her South African counterpart Sister April, one of the workshop sessions and the mural painted by young people on the visit.
