Our February Masterclass is on the topic of diabetes. People experiencing homelessness who have diabetes are at a much higher risk of death or serious health complications related to their condition. They often face daily challenges getting access to health food and facilities in which to store medication, and in managing their disease.

This Masterclass will share the findings from a partnership project funded by the Burdett Trust for Nursing. The project brought together specialist diabetes nurses, practice nurses and district nurses with a special interest in diabetes alongside inclusion health nurses. The aim to was learn how to better support patients experiencing homelessness who live with diabetes.

The session will be led by a panel of experts involved in the project, including:

  • Sam Dorney-Smith, Senior Research Fellow, Pathway and Clinical Research Lead, UCL
  • Lynne Wooff, Diabetes Specialist Nurse, Bolton NHS Foundation Trust
  • Rebekah Besford, LCH Clinical Fellow and Clinical Lead, Homeless & Health Inclusion Team, Leeds Community Healthcare Trust
  • Lived experience project participants Tony Jablonski, Sahar Khan and Joanne Kennedy.

Our speakers will share key findings from the project report ‘Don’t Tell Us Off – Examining Ways to Improve the Health Care of People Experiencing Homelessness with Diabetes.’ They will bring case studies of some of the significant changes and best practice that have been implemented since the project ended and we will hear the views of our lived experience experts. You will also learn about the fantastic tools and resources developed through the project to help those supporting people experiencing homelessness who have diabetes.

Although the project had a nursing focus, this session will be of interest to others involved in inclusion health across all disciplines. We look forward to welcoming people from across our networks and Faculty to what promises to be a fantastic Masterclass.

See below for more details on our expert speakers.

Rebekah Besford – Rebekah is the clinical lead nurse for the homeless health inclusion team in Leeds.

She is passionate about social justice and reducing health inequalities here in the UK and globally. She spent 10 years nursing in Mozambique and regularly visits South Africa to support a project working with economic migrants who are excluded from South African healthcare.

Lynne Wooff – Lynne is a Queens Nurse and Diabetes Specialist Nurse, working across both community and acute hospital sites. Together with a Diabetes and Endocrine Consultant she developed Boltons Community Diabetes Champion Programme, the aim to improve the engagement of the difficult to reach South Asian community in management of their diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

In 2019, she met with Boltons Homeless and Vulnerable Adult Nursing Team to explore how they managed people on their caseload suffering homelessness and diabetes. She has recently been granted NHSE funding to work under the Homeless and Vulnerable Adult Team 1 day weekly providing diabetes management to those that are homeless.

Sam Dorney-Smith – full biography can be found here.

Tony Jablonski – Member of the Pathway Lived Experience Programme. Member of Groundswell. Passionately advocating for those who are often excluded in society.

Joanne Kennedy – Dedicated volunteer for Pathway and various charitable organisations, committed to eradicating homelessness and promoting equal access to healthcare for all individuals.

Sahar Khan – A dedicated volunteer with Pathway and other organisations working towards making a difference.

You can purchase a ticket for the session here.

Find out more about joining our Pathway Partnership Programme.