ADVANCES in the treatment and management of Type 1 diabetes were celebrated at a special event held in a newly refurbished clinic at Mountainhall, Dumfries.
Staff, patients, families and local stakeholders gathered at the Mountainhall Treatment Centre to see the improvements to the clinic’s waiting and phlebotomy rooms — made possible through NHS Charity funding — and to honour local people who have lived with Type 1 diabetes for 50, 60, and even 70 years.
The refurbished spaces unveiled during a celebration hosted by the local diabetes team are aimed at creating a more welcoming and functional experience for patients attending the centre.
MCN Manager Diabetes Nicola Millar said: “We’ve had some support from our NHS Dumfries and Galloway charity to make the clinic’s patient waiting room a bit more comfortable and homely. We’ve also redesigned our phlebotomy rooms to improve the patient’s journey through our service.”
NHS Dumfries and Galloway Charity manager Nick Mitchell said: “We’re delighted that donations gratefully received by the hospital charity have been able to be put to such good use, supporting the work of the diabetes clinic and improving the experience of the people who benefit from it.”
In additional to functional improvements, the aesthetic changes include artwork which is designed to engage with people being supported with diabetes and intended to offer different perspectives on the condition.
Alex Durussel-Baker is a graphic designer. After being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, she has developed a range of artwork on that theme – with many of those pieces now helping to brighten up the diabetes clinic at Mountainhall.
Alex said: “Whenever I tried to talk to people about my diagnosis, they didn’t really know what to say, so I used design to tell my story—subverting famous artworks to get people to look twice and learn something about type 1 diabetes.”
A central element to the evening was the presentation of medals to individuals marking 50, 60, and 70 years of living with the condition, celebrating their resilience, adaptability, and the enormous changes they have witnessed in care and treatment over time.
Speaking as she presented a medal to one person marking 70 years, Dr Fiona Green said: “He’s seen all the changes—from boiling glass syringes at night to insulin pens, and now cutting-edge pump systems. It’s amazing to see how far we’ve come, and how far they’ve come.”
Speaking at the event, medal recipient Derek Banks noted the transformative role that new pump systems have made in managing diabetes.
He said: “To me, that was the best thing ever for somebody with type 1 diabetes. It was a new way of life for me. Anyone who gets the chance to use a pump should jump at it — it really changes things, not just for you but for your whole family.”
The diabetes team in Dumfries and Galloway have been at the forefront of rolling out the latest diabetes technologies, including insulin pumps and hybrid closed-loop systems, which automate insulin delivery and have transformed care for many.
Dr Green said: “The comments we hear now are things like, ‘I finally got a good night’s sleep,’ or ‘I can eat out and not feel guilty’.
“These technologies have made people feel human again, and that’s powerful.”
Staff continue to work to provide support to patients, and pursue opportunities for wider access to technologies which can help manage Type 1 diabetes.
Dr Green said: “We’re doing our best in Dumfries and Galloway, and I think we’re doing really well in terms of uptake compared to the rest of Scotland.
“But we’ll keep banging the drum to make sure more people benefit.”
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