Diabetic eye clinic scoops award

Nurses at the Leicester Royal Infirmary have picked up a national award for their work with patients suffering diabetic eye disease.

The clinic set up in July 2004 beat 30 other entries from across the country to win the 2006 Annual Lilly Abracadabra Diabetes Nursing Award.

It was recognised for its success in helping people get diabetes treated and under control.

The risk of blindness is reduced by improving patient's diabetes control.

According to the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust there are an estimated 37,000 diabetic patients in Leicestershire.

The figure is expected to rise to 40,000 by 2007.

Sabrina Khan, specialist nurse, said: "A lot of patients deny that their diabetes control is really bad.

"I think a lot of it is fear, they don't want to change their lifestyles, they don't feel ready for it.

"When I actually do the investigations on them they are shocked, some of them hadn't realised it had escalated that much."