'Our support group bought our local hospital 50 boxes of hypo kits'

As a member of the North Devon Support Group, we have sponsored the purchase of 50 boxes to be used on the wards of the North Devon District Hospital in Barnstaple as hypo kits. The boxes will contain all that is needed to treat all stages of a hypo from mild to serious that may occur with patients undergoing treatment at the hospital. The contents themselves were supplied by the the Primary Care Trust.

The contents list has been endorsed with a short epitaph to one of our founding members, Fiona Stoate, who has since passed away, but did so much for diabetes awareness in North Devon. The idea was the brainchild of the Diabetes Specialist Nursing Group in the NDDH who recognised a need for the kits and associated training of staff to ensure complete medical care of those suffering with diabetes was available.

The initial "roll out" to the hospital staff was on 2 November at the NDDH and I attach a photo of the presentation with members of our support group and the medical staff. The official introduction to the wards will take place in January 2011 after staff training is completed.