Following the success of 2008’s event, the Annual Abracadabra Diabetes Nursing Conference will be run in three different locations around the UK in 2009: Newcastle, Birmingham and London. Due to unprecedented demand for places, we have booked new venues with extra capacity! This is a very exciting development, and our hope is that even more of you will be able to join us at the conference, which has become so renowned over the last decade.

Diabetes care in general, and diabetes nursing in particular, is undergoing rapid change. The priorities for primary and secondary care are shifting, nurses are being asked to take on new roles, and there are a plethora of new diabetes therapies and management approaches. The evidence base underpinning our practice also continues to grow at a startling rate.

What are the implications of all these changes for the nurse working in diabetes? How should we best use the evidence available to navigate the complex diabetes management pathway? Is it always practical to follow guidelines and recommendations, or are there times when ‘the rules’ should be bent?

In the 2009 conference, we aim to provide nurses with practical guidance on how to negotiate these complex and sometimes confusing issues, with the ultimate aim of providing people with diabetes an optimum level of care. The sessions will cover a wide range of the current clinical challenges, including insulin intensification, the management of obesity beyond diet and exercise, and understanding the implications of data from the ADVANCE and ACCORD trials. We’ll also get a fresh perspective on established topics such as blood glucose monitoring and structured education.

We hope you will be able to join us at the event closest to you – we promise it will be as exciting, interactive and engaging as ever!

Mags Bannister, Nurse Consultant in Diabetes Care, Bradford

Maureen Wallymahmed, Nurse Consultant, Liverpool