Geraint Jones FRCP
Blackburn Royal Infirmary
Bolton Road
Blackburn
BB2 3LR
How did you train in Diabetes?
I first became involved in diabetes as part of my general medical training. I studied in South Wales, first general medicine then medical endocrinology and cardiology. My research was in diabetes looking at microvascular disease and early diabetic retinopathy.
Then I looked at the vascular side of diabetes and schemic heart disease. My Senior Registrar position was in a very good diabetes unit in Leicester, where I stayed until I came to Blackburn in 1987.
What was it that attracted you to Diabetes?
I watched my grandmother die from it. She developed gangrene and angina. I used to see her weighing her food and injecting insulin, so it became a passion with me. It is a horrible disease.
Are there any particular aspects of working in the Diabetes specialty that you find very rewarding?
People with diabetes are all heroes. I enjoy giving out Lawrence medals to those who have lived with diabetes for fifteen years.
….Lawrence Medals?
After R D Lawrence and H G Wells, who both had diabetes. Lawrence became type 1 diabetic before insulin was discovered and he went to Lake Garda to die. Insulin was discovered while he was there. He was sent a telegram, "Have got insulin. Come back."
In this work one is in a position to alter outcomes and change peoples lives. It is a fantastic responsibility and I work with great people and teams. There is no other disease so integral to people's lives; it is about the delivery of energy to cells and the release of energy from food. It is everything one could ever want in a career.
What is your working pattern?
Diabetes is 60-65% clinic based. There is a research aspect and we have a clinical research unit at the infirmary. At the moment I am writing papers on diabetic foot insulin delivery system.
We have to be prepared to handle emergencies - it is a total body disease and it is necessary to be a good physician as well. We have 27 people contributing in the Unit, including part-timers and two other consultants beside myself.
What particular skills should a trainee have who wants to be a Diabetician?
Patience. And an enquiring mind.
It is not an easy specialty to get into - it is very competitive. A research background and having done clinical work are both necessary. Some people have PhDs and there are opportunities for academic non-clinical diabeticians in the specialty. Flexible training is possible but, of course, it takes much longer.
Are there any aspects of being a consultant Diabetician that you don't particularly like?
Fighting for resources. No one thinks ahead sufficiently to fund necessary developments. Also the pace of change in the NHS.
Trainees need to understand that because diabetes has such a poor diagnosis, insurance companies are not interested in it and, therefore, private practice doesn't exist. Doctors in this specialty are not wealthy!
The other side of this is that work with people with diabetes is constantly changing. Understanding is increasing all the time. It has also become important politically. There is a 50% increase in funding for diabetes in the government's NHS plan. So if SHOs can get a SpR job the consultancy prospects are good.
We welcome visits from SHOs to sit in at one of our clinics. People from all over the world come to see us at Blackburn.
Please contact Geraint Jones direct at Blackburn Royal Infirmary.