I qualified in medicine from Oxford University and St. Thomas' Hospital and trained in diabetes centres at Leicester, Poole, St Thomas', Exeter and Bristol. From 1980 - 2012 I was consultant physician with a special interest in diabetes at Northampton General Hospital. I now work as honorary lecturer for the Diabetes Masters in Leicester University.
My special interests in diabetes are education, communication and patient empowerment, with particular emphasis on diabetes in people at each end of the spectrum, that is young adults and older people with diabetes. Since 1986 I have organised an annual counselling and empowerment course for health care professionals working in diabetes.
I have worked with the R&D unit at Northampton General Hospital since it was founded in 1982 and have been Principal Investigator in a large number of studies, including UKPDS, DESMOND, 4T and FOURIER.
I have recently become interested in the problem of diabetes and dementia and the training of professionals who work in this area.
Co-author of the following books:
• “Diabetes at your Fingertips” - a question and answer handbook for people with diabetes and their carers. The 7th edition, written with Anne Kilvert, appeared in January 2011.
• “Diabetes in the Real World” with Tony Pickering, a family doctor in Northampton, - for health care professionals. Winner of the Asher Award in 1997.
• “Vital Diabetes” with Mary MacKinnon – for primary care teams, 4th edition 2007.
• “Type 2 Diabetes in adults of all ages” with Anne Kilvert. 2nd edition 2014. Selected in 2017 for the NHS Reading Well project.