Our paediatric diabetes team supports children as inpatients and outpatients. We run regular clinic appointments, and we can visit schools and families at home. When a child needs to stay in hospital, we care for them on the children’s wards at Heartlands (PAU and Ward 16) and Good Hope (CAU).
Our team includes six doctors, eleven specialist nurses, one nursing associate, four dietitians, two healthcare assistants, two psychologists, and an administrator. We support around 500 children in Birmingham and Solihull, and this number grows each year.
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a life-long condition where the level of glucose in the blood is too high, this can happen when the body does not make any insulin, the body does not make enough insulin or if insulin does not work properly.
The two main type of diabetes are type 1 and type 2 diabetes. In type 1 diabetes, the body cannot make insulin. In type 2 diabetes, the body does not make enough insulin, or the insulin does not work well.
With any type of diabetes, glucose cannot move into the body cells properly, so it builds up in the blood. High glucose levels will require medical support from medical teams such as GPs or the specialist diabetes team at the hospital. This is followed up by regular reviews from the medical team as patients can experience high and low blood glucose levels, with both cases requiring additional support.
From diagnosis to ongoing support
When a child is diagnosed with diabetes, they may start in the High Dependency Unit (HDU) before moving to the ward. Our diabetes nurses meet the family as soon as possible. They provide the key equipment, explain our service, and give a teddy bear called ‘Rufus’ from the charity Breakthrough T1D. Breakthrough T1D also shares useful information for families and supports type 1 diabetes research.
Over the next few days, we support families and teach them how to manage diabetes safely. We cover medicines, what can change blood glucose levels, when and where to get help, and what to do in an emergency. We also teach school staff, hospital teams, new Trust staff, and family members such as grandparents and siblings.
When you feel confident to go home, we will discharge you and arrange to see you at home to continue the diabetes education. We find most families prefer to go through things in their home setting where they feel more relaxed than on a busy ward.
There is a lot to learn and take in about diabetes so don’t expect to grasp it all straight away. It takes most families several months to get fully into the swing of things. If you have any questions, however small – write them down and ask us when you contact us and we will do our best to answer them for you.
We provide a telephone support service Monday to Friday, where you may contact the diabetes nurses for on-going advice and support. Should you require advice outside of diabetes nurses working hours, and on weekends and Bank Holidays you can still call. See our contact information below.
If for any reason a child or young person with Diabetes needs to come into hospital in an emergency or for a planned stay they should bring all of their Diabetes related equipment and treatment with them, this includes their insulin, any pen devices, continuous glucose monitoring device and pump device.
Outpatient care
We will see your child in the outpatient clinic weekly or fortnightly in the first few months following diagnosis. After this we will see them every three months.
Please bring all of your child’s diabetes related equipment and treatment with them, this includes their insulin, any pen devices, continuous glucose monitoring device and pump device.
Your child’s height, weight, blood pressure and HbA1c will be checked on arrival. The HbA1c check involves a simple blood test done by finger prick like blood glucose testing, which we take in clinic every three months to check overall control of diabetes.
Parents of younger children might want to bring along their red health visitors book for height and weight plotting.
You will be seen by various members of the team – consultant, diabetes specialist nurses, dietitian’s, health care assistants and possibly a psychologist. This allows you and your child to receive full support from your diabetes team.
When your child reaches 14 years, we will begin to discuss transition to the young adult clinic, but transfer will not occur until around 17 years of age.
This clinic is run jointly with the adult diabetes team, and aims to offer a smooth transition into the adult service by the time the young person is 19 years old.
Annual reviews
Once a year your child will have an annual check to check for early signs of diabetes complications and testing for associated conditions such as coeliac disease and thyroid problems. This is in line with national guidelines and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommendations. This clinic appointment may take slightly longer than other visits.
The annual check will involve:
- Height, weight and blood pressure check
- Physical examination to look at injection sites, health of feet etc.
- HbA1C (finger prick test)
- Urine Test
- A venous blood test for thyroid function and coeliac disease screening.
- Assessment for psychological intervention
If you have concerns about your child coming to terms with diagnosis or any other emotional upset resulting from the diagnosis please mention it to us. We can discuss with you and your child if a referral to the psychologist or Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) may be of benefit to your child.
Children aged 12 and above also have the following additional tests:
- Cholesterol check (blood test)
- Eye check (diabetic retinopathy screening includes looking at the back of your eyes and is usually done in the Community by specially trained opticians).
School
Children spend a considerable time of their day at school and this means there has to be appropriate support and supervision for them in school so that they are able to participate in all school activities despite having diabetes.
We will contact your child’s school, nursery, or playgroup soon after diagnosis. We will liaise with the appropriate staff in order for them to understand how to manage your child’s diabetes whilst at school. We will provide an individualised health care plan for school which parents and patient (if competent) will need to sign as well as school staff. School staff will have diabetes team contact numbers should they have any concerns or queries or wish to request a visit for any reason.
Prioritising safety
Keeping blood glucose in a safe range is very important. Blood glucose that is too low can be dangerous. Blood glucose that is too high, especially with ketones, can cause DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis). This is an emergency. We teach families how to stay in a safe range, and we suggest trusted websites and apps for everyday support.
New technology can help keep children safer. Some insulin pumps can link to a glucose sensor and adjust insulin on their own. They can give more insulin, less insulin, or pause insulin to help stop big highs and lows. This innovation has enhanced the safety and quality of life for many of the children we support.
Commitment to excellence and continuous improvement
We keep ourselves updated on the latest diabetes care advancements and collaborate closely with technology providers to ensure we offer the best possible information to families.
We take part in the National Paediatric Diabetes Audit. It is led by Dr Dhaara Iyer, Lead Consultant and Nagina Kausar, Lead Nurse. We send our data on time and review our results every three months, so we can keep improving. We also support ‘Poverty Proofing’ work to help reduce health inequalities.
We follow NHS England’s Best Practice Tariff (BPT) for children’s diabetes care. This means we offer at least four clinic appointments each year with the full team, plus at least eight extra contacts. Families can also get clinical advice 24 hours a day. We provide structured education, diet support, and regular psychology reviews.
At University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB), we meet these standards and keep working to do even better. Our Good Hope Hospital team also sets a high benchmark, achieving the lowest HbA1c results nationally.
To keep our service strong, we link with other diabetes teams across the region and the UK. We also hold team meetings every three months, with a clear agenda and time to share ideas and improve what we do.
Meet the team
Good Hope Hospital
- Dr Michael Plunkett, Consultant Paediatrician
- Dr Fathima Haniffa, Consultant Paediatrician
- Nagina Kausar, Lead Paediatric Diabetes Specialist Nurse
- Paitra Sparkes, Paediatric Diabetes Specialist Nurse
- Alison Peasgood, Paediatric Diabetes Specialist Nurse
- Lizzie Whitaker, Paediatric Diabetes Specialist Nurse
- Nicola King, Paediatric Diabetes Specialist Nurse
- Lindsey Sheridan, Paediatric Diabetes Specialist Nurse
- Anisha Khan, Paediatric Diabetes Healthcare Assistant
Heartlands and Solihull Hospital
- Dr Swati Karandikar, Consultant Paediatrician
- Dr Justina Rweyemamu, Consultant Paediatrician
- Dr Dhaara Iyer, Consultant Paediatrician
- Dr Aparna Akula, Consultant Paediatrician
- Nagina Kausar, Lead Paediatric Diabetes Specialist Nurse
- Elaine Keegan, Paediatric Diabetes Specialist Nurse
- Rebecca Scrivens, Paediatric Diabetes Specialist Nurse
- Jessica Howard, Paediatric Diabetes Specialist Nurse
- Charlotte Nolan, Paediatric Diabetes Specialist Nurse
- Richard Parry, Paediatric Diabetes Specialist Nurse
- Lisa Kerins, Paediatric Diabetes Specialist Nurse
- Layla Akhter, Paediatric Diabetes Nurse Associate
- Angela Barry, Paediatric Diabetes Healthcare Assistant
- Robin Geevarghese, Diabetes Coordinator and administrator Heartlands, Solihull and Good Hope
Contact us
Good Hope
Diabetes Nursing Office
Available Monday - Friday, 08:00 - 18:00.
Children's Assessment Unit (CAU)
Available on evenings, weekends and bank holidays.
Heartlands
Heartlands and Solihull Diabetes Nursing Office
Available Monday - Friday, 08:00 - 18:00.
Paediatric Assessment Unit (PAU)
Available evenings, weekends, bank holidays
Paediatric dietitians
Last reviewed: 30 June 2026