Quality improvement with biosimilar insulin

This promotional webinar was funded and reviewed by Mylan and includes discussion of its products.

Objectives - The learning objectives for this webinar are as follows:

• Understand what biosimilar insulin is
• Outline the evidence that supports where biosimilars can be used
• Consider how biosimilar insulin may impact clinical practice
• Outline the principles of setting up a quality improvement project in your locality
• Discuss cases that have instigated improvements with biosimilar insulin

Speakers - Vicky Ruszala, Specialist Pharmacist in Diabetes and Endocrinology, North Bristol NHS Trust and Su Down, Co-Vice Chair, Primary Care Diabetes Society and Diabetes Nurse Consultant, Somerset

Victoria Ruszala MRPharmS MFRPSII

Vicky Ruszala is a specialist pharmacist at North Bristol NHS Trust. She works in a specialist capacity with the diabetes and endocrinology team, trying to improve inpatient experience for those with diabetes and reducing errors in diabetes care. 

She has just completed a secondment to Bath and North East Somerset CCG as a specialist pharmacist in the integrated diabetes service. As well as contributing to strategic changes in the systemic management of diabetes, she ran independent specialist clinics in GP practices to aid achievement of the three key NICE targets.

For the last 9 years she has been part of the UKCPA Diabetes Group committee, which has allowed her to contribute to raising the standard of diabetes care at a national level, in all healthcare settings. She has been the joint chair of this group for the past 6 years.  Currently she is the pharmacist lead of the endocrinology Clinical Reference Group for NHS England and has also worked as pharmacist representative on the guideline development group for the new NICE Type 1 diabetes guideline.

She has been published in a range of journals on different aspects of diabetes care. As a speaker she has had the privilege of attending and speaking at a range of national and international conferences. In addition, she works locally providing diabetes education for primary and secondary care professionals, including pharmacists, nurses and doctors.

Su Down has specialised in diabetes for 25 years and since 2005 has held the position of Diabetes Nurse Consultant in Somerset. She has played a key role in leading the service through a complete redesign and implementing a community-based team of diabetes nurse specialist nurses and specialist dietitians. 

Su's particular interests are in elderly care, end-of-life care, insulin safety, injection technique, hypoglycaemia and pregnancy care. In her role as Clinical Lead for the intermediate service, she is responsible for the clinical supervision of the nursing team and the service is commissioned to deliver healthcare professional education to primary care, to the community nursing service and to care homes. The service also delivers group education to those with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Nationally, Su sits on the board of the Forum for Injection Technique and has developed diabetes modules for the social care sector in conjunction with Skills for Care. She is also on an international board looking to explore the challenges in early conversations between clinicians and people with diabetes. She presented this work at the recent EASD conference. She has had work published on topics including service redesign, the future role of specialist nurses, innovative commissioning, injection technique and hypoglycaemia unawareness.

Job Code: NON-2020-1688     DOP: August 2020