With rising numbers of both pre-existing and gestational diabetes in pregnancy, alongside rapid advancements in technology and pharmacological treatments, this Leicester event offered attendees the chance to benchmark their roles and hear the latest developments from leading diabetes experts across the UK. Designed to enhance both clinical and psychological support skills, the session equipped participants to ensure the best possible outcomes for mothers and babies.
Attendees left having shared examples of best practice and gained practical, real-world guidance to elevate their services. They returned to their teams with actionable strategies to improve the management of diabetes in pregnancy.
Sponsored by:
Improve pregnancy outcomes
Step Away from Your Day-to-Day Role and Gain Practical, Actionable Insights
This event provided attendees with the opportunity to step back from their routine roles and gain practical, actionable insights to enhance care for women with diabetes in pregnancy. Participants returned to their services equipped with the tools to:
- Elevate preconception and antenatal care for women with Type 2 diabetes
- Confidently initiate Hybrid Closed Loop systems and navigate more complex cases
- Maximise diet and exercise plans to support healthy pregnancies in women with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes
- Explore GLP-1s, SGLT-2s, and other medications in pre-conception, post-pregnancy, and fertility care
- Approach barriers to access and capacity with confidence, guided by practical strategies from pioneers in pregnancy care
- Enhance management of gestational diabetes to reduce perinatal complications and improve adherence to care
Connect, share, learn
Unpack the Latest in Technology, Clinical Care and Multidisciplinary Collaboration
This one-day event provided attendees with a rich opportunity to explore best practice, hear from expert speakers, and engage in interactive discussions. Participants benefitted from:
- Expert speakers sharing clinical experience, practical tips, and the latest evidence
- Practical, skill-based masterclasses on initiating and troubleshooting Hybrid Closed Loop Systems
- se studies demonstrating best practice in managing complex pregnancies
- Q&A sessions with leading clinicians and diabetes pioneers
- Updates from industry partners on the latest diabetes technologies and treatments
With thanks to the sponsors
SBK Healthcare would like to thank Abbott and mylife Diabetes Care for sponsoring this educational forum.
Invitation to sponsor
This interactive event was a great opportunity for providers of diabetes technology and treatments to support healthcare professionals. If you sponsor a forum, you will be a fundamental part of the agenda, moderating the discussions, presenting in the dedicated ‘industry partners showcase’ plus exhibiting and networking during the break times. To find out more about all the engagement and branding opportunities available in the full sponsorship package, please email Sarah Kemm or call Sarah on 01732 897788.
| 9:00 |
Registration, networking and refreshments
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| 9:30 |
Chair’s opening remarks
Neo Thakanyane-Masoabi, Diabetes Specialist Nurse for Maternity, Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust
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| Strengthening management of Type 2 | |
| 9:40 |
Enhancing preconception care and antenatal care for patients with T2
Dr Ammara Naeem, Consultant in Endocrinolgy, Diabetes and Internal medicine, Croydon University Hospital NHS Trust
|
| 10:10 |
Improving clinical outcomes for pregnant women with type 2 diabetes
Dr Sarah Steven, Consultant Diabetologist, Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
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| 10:40 |
Questions and answers with your speakers
|
| 10:50 |
Empowering diabetes management: The Freestyle Libra systems portfolio
Arzoo Mann, Territory Manager, Abbott Diabetes Care
|
| 11.00 |
Using mylife loop in pregnancy: Understanding the system and managing common challenges
Katy Gerrard, Clinical Educator, mylife Diabetes Care
|
| 11:10 |
Questions and answers with your Abbott and mylife Diabetes Care
|
| 11:20 |
Networking break
|
| Masterclass: Empowering confidence in Hybrid Closed Loop | |
| 11:40 |
Expert-led masterclass on optimising Hybrid Closed Loops
Practical case-based exercises and expert-led discussions designed to build confidence in HCL. Please choose one of the following workshops to attend: Masterclass A: Onboarding and implementing HCL in pregnancy from the start For teams new to HCL or looking to build confidence in setup and onboarding.
Cathy Jones, Diabetes Specialist Midwife, Leicester Diabetes Centre Masterclass B: Advanced HCL in practice: Troubleshooting and complex scenarios For those already using HCL and are ready to optimise and refine.
Dr Kate Hunt, Consultant in Diabetes and General Medicine, Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
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| 12:25 |
Networking lunch
|
| Best practice for managing gestational diabetes | |
| 1:25 |
Exploring current GDM practices and advancing care of patients
Dr Emma Walkinshaw, Consultant in Diabetes and Maternal Medicine, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
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| Pharmacological interventions in pregnancy with diabetes | |
| 1:55 |
Managing diabetes alongside additional medications in pregnancy
Dr Caroline Ovadia, Clinical Senior Lecturer, Honorary Consultant Obstetrician ,Royal Infirmary Edinburgh and Centre for Reproductive Health
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| 2:25 |
Questions and answers with your speakers
|
| 2:35 |
Networking break
|
| Cultural considerations and ensuring best communication | |
| 2:55 |
Interactive discussion: Tackling healthcare inequalities and barriers to access
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| Diet and nutrition in T1 & T2 | |
| 3:25 |
Optimising diet and nutrition in diabetes in pregnancy
Professor Claire Meek, Professor of Chemical Pathology and Diabetes in Pregnancy, University of Leicester and Honorary Consultant, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
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| 3:55 |
Questions and answers with your speaker
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| 4:05 |
Chair’s closing remarks and close of day
|
First-hand speaker experiences
This was a unique forum packed with examples of best practice, novel ideas and expert advice from:
Dr Ammara Naeem
Consultant in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Internal Medicine
Croydon University Hospital NHS Trust
Professor Claire Meek
Professor of Chemical Pathology and Diabetes in Pregnancy and Honorary Consultant
University of Leicester and University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
Dr Caroline Ovadia
Clinical Senior Lecturer, Honorary Consultant Obstetrician
Royal Infirmary Edinburgh, Centre for Reproductive Health
Dr Sarah Steven
Consultant Diabetologist
Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Arzoo Mann
Territory Manager
Abbott Diabetes Care
Katy Gerrard
Clinical Educator
mylife Diabetes Care
Dr Kate Hunt
Consultant in Diabetes and General Medicine
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Neo Thakanyane-Masoabi
Diabetes Specialist Nurse for Maternity
Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust
Dr Emma Walkinshaw
Consultant in Diabetes and Maternal Medicine
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Learn and connect
After the ‘excellent’ and ‘engaging’ forum which took place in London in 2025, this annual conference was held in the diabetes hub of Leicester in 2026. Just hear how much attendees enjoy our training:
With thanks to our sponsors
Abbott’s Diabetes Care Division is committed to helping people manage their diabetes and achieve their best health outcomes with innovative technology, such as the FreeStyle Libre 2 system.
mylife Loop is an automated insulin delivery system that runs from your smartphone, linking the mylife YpsoPump insulin pump, the mylife CamAPS FX algorithm and the choice of either the Dexcom G6 or FreeStyle Libre 3 Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) System.
Attend as a sponsor
Our role at SBK Healthcare is to bring industry together with healthcare professionals so that you can educate and inform your audience. These trail-blazing diabetes delivery forums offering dedicated presentation, Q&A, networking and discussion time, each sponsor will be fully immersed into the event and able to effectively engage with your NHS audience.
Your event, managed by us
SBK Healthcare also provides in-house forums. Working closely with you as the client we can research, produce, market and deliver the conference or online forum that best suits the audience and meets your goals.
Reach out today
If you would like more information on our sponsorship options an in-house forum or if you wish to discuss your needs and what solutions may be appropriate for your business, please contact:
Sarah Kemm
Contact: 01732 897788
Email: sarah.kemm@sbk-healthcare.co.uk
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