Jon Bowes, an Advanced Clinical Practitioner (ACP) with Sirona care & health, has been awarded the prestigious title of Queen’s Nurse.

Jon, who is part of the Gordano and Mendip Integrated Network Team, has been awarded the title for his commitment to care, and his ambition to create a new type 2 diabetes awareness training session to aid in the diagnosis of diabetes.

His role involves caring for individuals with long-term conditions such as COPD. But Jon discovered a number of people in his care were also suffering from undiagnosed type 2 diabetes.

Jon shares his further training to help community nurses diagnose the condition and improve outcomes for people. Speaking about an individual he has helped during his role, he said: “When I went to see an elderly man with COPD and heart failure, I noticed he had symptoms of undiagnosed type 2 diabetes.

“I suggested we carried out some blood tests, which confirmed that he had diabetes. With the correct medication, his health dramatically improved. It made a significant difference to his life, and his wife and family were able to see the change.

“I have come across many elderly people who have had undiagnosed diabetes. Prevention, education and screening are crucial.

“Research has proven elderly people who are not diagnosed in a timely manner are more likely to die prematurely. They are also at a greater risk of strokes and heart attacks.”

Jon was an estate agent for 22 years before he retrained as a nurse at the age of 40. He has worked in the Rapid Response Team, as a District Nurse and in the Falls Team before becoming a Community Matron in July 2019.

He said: “It’s a very rewarding job. I assess people in their own home and I can help support them and improve their ‘whole’ health. With a wider picture, I can often make a huge difference and I love developing a relationship with individuals and their families.

“A lot of my service users are frail or elderly with long-term conditions. I also see a lot of people with multiple needs.

“I attend the frailty multi-disciplinary team meetings with GP surgeries. I go out to assess individuals to see how we can help.

“I’m also there to provide clinical leadership to the community nursing team. It involves a lot of problem-solving and helping with more complex individuals on the nursing case load – organising packages of care, as well as prescribing and adjusting medications.”