Lancelots help children’s diabetes team score top marks for care

Lancelots help children’s diabetes team score top marks for care 

The paediatric team looking after children with diabetes at Ormskirk hospital has been recognised as one of the best in the country.

A national audit found they were among the top performers for supporting children with type 1 diabetes in terms of quality improvements.

Jamie Cranham, age seven, from Scarisbrick, near Ormskirk, has been a patient at the hospital since he was diagnosed four years ago with type 1, the most common form of diabetes in youngsters.

His dad, Andrew, is the chair of Lancelots, a Diabetes UK support group for children with Type 1 diabetes. It is named after the lancets used for skin pricks to measure blood sugar.

“Jamie is my role model,” said Andrew. “I look up to him because from an early age, and without a fuss, he’s been able to do all the things he does with the help of the team here at the hospital.

“The Lancelots is somewhere Jamie can meet children like himself. It’s also great for helping parents too and we do fundraising to give support where it’s needed.”

Jamie is pupil at St Cuthbert’s Primary School, Halsall, and, when the keen Liverpool FC fan isn’t playing football, he dreams of designing computer apps when he grows up.

His doctor at Ormskirk hospital, Dr May Ng, Consultant Paediatric Endocrinologist, said: “The Lancelots diabetes support group and the support of parents like Andrew and his wife Holly have been key to the success of this unit.

“Without their support, the brilliant professionals and the team that I work with wouldn’t be able to make the steady and continued improvements to the care of our patients.

“Diabetes care has changed enormously in my 18 years as a doctor. With our staff’s expertise and the enthusiasm of the Lancelots, I know we’re ready to embrace emerging treatments and technology that will benefit local children in the years ahead.”