​Southampton nurse Paula Johnston has been awarded a national diabetes award. Paula is a specialist nurse and is the Lead Inpatient Diabetes Nurse at the University Hospital Southampton otherwise known as (UHS) and was also named Healthcare Professional of the Year at the Quality in Care Diabetes Award. The ceremony was held at Pharmaceutical Giant Sanofi’s UK headquarters in Reading.

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The award aims to acknowledge the leaders and professionals working within the community helping drive awareness for individuals with diabetes as well as manage and educate people and families with the condition.

Paula said ‘Winning this award has meant the world to me. I am passionate about working within the diabetes and been recognised in this way has made me so proud.

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“I love working at UHS and my team really is like a work family. I have made so many friends through my work within diabetes that I feel really privileged and I cannot imagine doing anything else.”

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Mrs Johnston was one of the five clinicians shortlisted and voted by professionals across the UK. Paula was nominated by University Hospital Southampton colleague and Consultant in Diabetes Dr Mayank Patel, and Phillip Newland-Jones, consultant Pharmacist in Diabetes and Clinical Lead and Endocrinology.

Paula has served on the committee for the Royal College of Nursing Diabetes forum from the years 2019 – 2023 and has just been announced as vice-chair for the Diabetes Inpatient Specialist Nurse group also known as (DISN). She has also worked nationally as a Genetic Diabetes Specialist Nurse and has just started the professional nurse advocate course.