A HARD-WORKING nurse has received the highest praise for her "exceptional" care of diabetes patients across north Essex.

Sheila Smyth, from Wivenhoe, was named outstanding educator of diabetes at the the recent Quality in Care Diabetes Awards.

Mrs Smyth, chief nurse at Suffolk GP Federation, is responsible for overseeing and developing the North East Essex Diabetes Service (NEEDS).

NEEDS was launched in 2014 to deliver type 1 and type 2 diabetes care and education across Colchester and Tendring.

As part of this education, a programme developed with the University of Essex has helped more than 140 healthcare professionals deliver high quality care to patients.

Mrs Smyth said: “Key to the success of NEEDS has been the up-skilling of healthcare professionals to link in with diabetes specialist teams, which has helped to provide high quality care for patients living within the area.

“I am very grateful to receive this award and would really like to thank the entirety of the NEEDS team for their contributions to the service along with colleagues from the university for their tremendous support.”

The award recognises "innovative practice" that demonstrates excellence in diabetes management, education and services.

The judges said: “Sheila Smyth not only delivered accredited education at the University of Essex, she also devised and wrote the whole programme, supported by local consultants and her team.

"She truly is an inspirational lead.”

Since NEEDS launched in 2014, 74 per cent of diabetes patients in Colchester and Tendring now receive all of the eight health checks recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

This is up from 40 per cent in April 2014.