Isle patients to benefit from new diabetes and endocrinology consultant

Supporting, advising, educating and encouraging patients to take control of their diabetes is key to good outcomes according to a new consultant.

Dr N Prasad Pothina has returned to Scunthorpe hospital to join the diabetes and endocrinology team as a consultant. He first worked at the hospital five years ago when he underwent his registrar training. He returned in 2014 as a locum consultant and has now been appointed in a substantive consultant post

Talking about why he has returned to the Trust, Dr Pothina said: “I really enjoyed my time at the hospital as a registrar. I was delighted to be offered a consultant post this year as it is a forward looking department, I know the hospital and the staff well and I look forward to helping improve services for local people.”

He underwent his medical training in India and graduated in 1995, coming to the UK in 2003 where he initially worked in Hull as a senior house officer before working across the Yorkshire region continuing his higher training in diabetes and endocrinology.

He was attracted to medicine while he was at school as he was inspired by his family doctor. Dr Porthina said: “I have been very fortunate as I made the right decision to become a doctor. It is not just making a difference between life and death, in diabetes and endocrinology it is about helping people cope with long term problems.”

He said the specialty was challenging especially as diabetes was a life-long, incurable illness that, if uncontrolled, can lead to various complications including blindness, renal failure and amputation.

Diabetes and endocrinology are related to disorders of hormone production or action. Diabetology is concerned with the care of people with diabetes mellitus, which is caused by inadequate production and/or effectiveness of insulin. Endocrinology covers the over or under production of hormones from a variety of endocrine glands, including the thyroid, adrenal and pituitary.

The management of type 1 and type 2 diabetes can be complex and the condition is on the increase, most notably type 2, as the population ages and the prevalence of obesity increases.

Dr Pothina said: “It is about putting patients on the right path of self-management. It is about patients managing their diabetes, not the diabetes controlling their life. It is very much a team effort as it is not just the consultant but also specialist nurses, dietitians, podiatrists, retinal screeners and the patients working together.”

Dr Pothina added: “I am looking forward to working with my colleagues in driving forward the integrated model of care which will ensure patients are treated in the right place by the right person.”

The integrated diabetes care model will see the hospital provide care for antenatal diabetes, diabetic foot care, people with diabetes and renal problems, those with insulin pumps, type 1/adolescents with unstable control, complex type 2 diabetes patient with poor control and inpatient diabetes.

Dr Pothina joins Dr Mohamed Malik in the team. In his spare time he enjoys travelling and photography.