The paediatric diabetes team at Good Hope Hospital consists of a paediatric diabetes consultant, paediatric diabetes specialist nurses, dietitians and psychologist. We look after around 160 children and young people with diabetes that live in North Birmingham and South Staffordshire.
We aim to meet the following during your stay in hospital:
- A member of our team will aim to see you and your child on the ward within 24 hours of diagnosis, (apart from weekends and bank holidays where it will be the next working day)
- Whilst on the ward we will go through the basic principles of diabetes and provide you with written information. We will show you how to check your child’s blood glucose and teach you how to inject insulin
- 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-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 Children’s assessment Unit (CAU) at Good Hope Hospital. Please ask to speak to the registrar on call who will be able to assist you with your query
Outpatient clinics
We will see your child in the outpatient clinic weekly or fortnightly in the first few months following diagnosis. Thereafter we will see them every three months. The outpatient clinics are held at Good Hope Hospital, most Wednesday mornings and Thursday afternoons in the Children’s Outpatients department.
Please bring your child's blood glucose meter and insulin pens to clinic appointments. If you have a blood glucose diary, please bring this with you too.
Your child’s height, weight and blood pressure will be checked on arrival. 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. Please allow extra time for your appointment to receive full support from your diabetes team.
Your child’s HbA1c will be checked on arrival – This is 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.
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 done as per national guidelines and NICE recommendations. This clinic appointment may take slightly longer time 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:
- Blood test for lipid profile (cholesterol check)
- Diabetic retinopathy screening – This includes taking photograph of retina (back of your eye) 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.
Young adult clinic
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. The clinic is held on the third Friday of each month in the Treatment Centre at Good Hope Hospital. At this clinic, patients can attend on their own if they would prefer.
Meet the team
- 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
- Robin Geevarghese, Diabetes Coordinator
- Megan Jeffrey, Paediatric Dietitian
- Ian Gamlen, Paediatric Dietitian
Contact us
Diabetes office
Children's Assessment Unit (CAU)
Diabetes Nurse
Paediatric Dietitians
Last reviewed: 12 June 2026