MyDiabetesMyWay Somerset

This project is a collaboration between the University of Dundee spin out company MyWay Digital Health and the Somerset Diabetes Service.

Somerset Diabetes Service

The diabetes services in Somerset have a strong history of working together to break down traditional barriers. Commissioners, service and management leads in primary care, intermediate care and hospital trusts have worked collaboratively for many years to drive forward diabetes services in Somerset to improve access to, and quality of, care. The South Somerset Symphony project is just one example of such collaborative working that has been awarded NHS England Vanguard status.

MyDiabetesMyWay (MDMW)

MDMW is an online self-management platform for people with diabetes that has been running in NHS Scotland since 2008 (currently around 30,000 registrants (Aug 2017)). It has won many national and international awards and shown that it can improve outcomes for people with Diabetes. MyDiabetesMyWay Somerset is the first time the MyDiabetesMyWay project has been setup outside Scotland, and the aspiration is that it will be adopted in other sites in England and beyond through the MyWay Digital Health company.

Funding

MyDiabetesMyWay Somerset is funded by a Small Business Research Initiative grant, delivered by a partnership of NHS England and the South West Academic Health Science Network. The grant is for initiatives that “enable and inspire people with diabetes to care for themselves in partnership with their general practitioner”. The history of partnership working in Somerset, combined with the excellent track record of the MyDiabetesMyWay team facilitated the application and success in obtaining the funding for this project.

A word of thanks

During the development of the website, the ongoing engagement from all elements of primary, intermediate and secondary care has been remarkable. In addition, and of vital importance, the enthusiasm and support from people with diabetes as well as their families, carers and support groups has been outstanding. We wish to thank everyone that has been involved so far in the project.

The Somerset Team

Dr Alex Bickerton

Alex qualified from Southampton University Medical School and undertook Diabetes and Endocrinology specialist training in the South-West Thames region. He carried out research in the field of lipid metabolism at Oxford University resulting in a number of publications and the award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

Dr Bickerton has been working as a consultant in Diabetes, Endocrinology and General Medicine at Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust since 2007. His sub-specialist interests are young adults with diabetes and endocrine conditions, insulin pump therapy, diabetic renal disease, lipids and pituitary disease He is currently the Clinical Lead for Diabetes and a Diabetes UK Local Clinical Champion; a role in which he acts as a catalyst for change in improving the quality of diabetes care and services in Somerset. In addition, he has an interest in the integration of health services, both in the context of diabetes and more generally, and is involved in the South Somerset Symphony project; an NHS England Vanguard initiative.

Dr Seshadri Pramodh

Sesha qualified from India and undertook Diabetes and Endocrinology specialist training in the Wessex – London region.

Dr Pramodh has been working as a consultant in Diabetes, Endocrinology and General Medicine at Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust since 2007. His sub-specialist interests are diabetes in pregnancy, Diabetic foot disease, pituitary disease, Type 1 Diabetes and Thyroid disease. He is currently the lead for inpatient Diabetes and Diabetic foot disease in YDH.

Dr Ian Boyland

Ian has been a GP in Somerset for 10 years working as a Partner at Preston Grove Medical Centre. He has an interest in diabetes and is the South Somerset Lead for Diabetes. He is also a GP trainer and teaches trainee GPs and medical students.