Endocrine Abstracts

Background: 2003 saw the formation of a special interest group within the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) for the growing number of paediatric nurses working within the field of endocrinology. While this group has strong links with the British Society of Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes (BSPED) and the British Endocrine Society (BES), it was felt these societies were strongly medical and that a unified voice for paediatric endocrinology nurses would be a useful addition.

2009 saw some changes within the RCN – ultimately leading to the Children and Young People (CYP) Endocrine community becoming part of the larger CYP Specialist Care forum.

Purpose: The RCN CYP Endocrine community aims to offer support, advice and expertise to nurses and professionals working with children, young people and their families with an endocrine disorder.

Aims: To:

• raise the profile of paediatric endocrine nursing

• share best practice and develop national guidelines and protocols for nursing children with an endocrine disorder

• promote nursing research and development in order to uphold best practice

• encourage multidisciplinary team working by providing support, information and advice to any healthcare professional caring for a child or young person with an endocrine disorder

Discussion: The BSPED meeting is an excellent opportunity for members of the CYP Endocrine community to discuss the group’s future objectives. As part of the RCN, we have the opportunity to put forward bid proposals in order to fund projects, as well as utilise the personalised webpage facility and online discussion rooms provided on the RCN website. Our community, as part of the larger RCN CYP Specialist Care forum, also has the potential to have substantial input into the forum’s annual conference which is next scheduled for 15 March 2011.