Meet the 2026 judges
Our independent judging panel is made up of representatives from some of the UK’s most respected diabetes organisations.
Debbie Hicks
Debbie began working in diabetes nursing in 1990 where she developed the Diabetes Specialist Nursing Service in Hull. In 2005, she moved south to take up the post of Nurse Consultant – Diabetes.
Although Debbie recently retired from clinical practice she is the Trend Diabetes Chair and continues to lead the development and innovation within Trend Diabetes.
Award-winning Trend Diabetes has more than 21,000 members and allows any healthcare professional interested in diabetes care from around the world to access its educational resources.
Debbie has published over 130 papers, both in the UK and internationally, and she is on the Editorial Board of The Diabetes Times.
Debbie is Chair of Injection Technique Matters – Best Practice in Diabetes Nursing, which aims to improve outcomes for people with diabetes who inject.
Tamsin Fletcher – Salt
Tamsin qualified as a nurse in 2009 and became a Diabetes Specialist Nurse (DSN) in 2014, following five years’ experience as a critical care nurse in a major trauma centre. She is currently the Lead Diabetes and Endocrinology Nurse at University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust.
A non-medical prescriber, Tamsin completed her MSc in Diabetes at King’s College London in January 2023. She regularly contributes to advisory groups for NHS England, supporting national technology initiatives and HCL roll-out, and is also an Honorary Lecturer at Keele University.
More recently, Tamsin was appointed Clinical Inpatient Diabetes Lead for the NHS Midlands Network. She joined the DSN Forum Management Team in March 2020 and remains actively involved in national professional leadership.
Tamsin was a finalist at the QiC Diabetes Awards in 2020 and went on to win two awards in 2021 for her work with the Diabetes 101 Twitter team, recognising her impact on diabetes education and engagement.
Callum Metcalfe-O’Shea
Callum has been working in primary care specialising in diabetes as an Advanced Nurse Practitioner for the last 8 years, supporting the creation of a health professionals forum within his local area to improve diabetes education and training for nurses and other professionals. He has held various clinical and leadership roles, including clinical lead for diabetes at his local ICB.
Callum still works clinically within general practice, is a clinical leadership advisor for the NHS Clinical Leaders Network and sits on various editorial boards including the Journal of Diabetes Nursing. He has a strong passion for championing advanced practice in long-term condition management and now works at the RCN as the UK Professional Lead for Long-Term Conditions to enhance nursing practice and policy across the UK. Callum won the Primary Care Nurse of the Year at the Diabetes Nursing Awards 2024.
Sharon Jones
Sharon Jones is a Diabetes and Endocrinology Clinical Nurse Specialist and Independent Prescriber with extensive experience across diabetes, renal and mental health services. She leads Diabetes Services at Cromwell Hospital, London, overseeing inpatient and outpatient care for people with complex diabetes needs, alongside responsibility for staff training, clinical governance and service development. Sharon was named Inpatient Diabetes Specialist Nurse and Diabetes Educator of the Year at the Diabetes Nursing Awards 2025.
Her previous roles include Diabetes Specialist Nurse and Lead for Technology at West Hertfordshire NHS Hospitals Trust, where she helped establish a new insulin pump service and expand access to flash glucose monitoring. She has also held senior posts in renal and mental health services, developing education programmes, competency frameworks and integrated care approaches. Sharon draws on additional training in psychodynamic counselling and CBT‑informed techniques to support both patients and colleagues.
She trained at Nottingham Trent University Hospital, completed her BSc in Nursing at the University of Paisley and is currently studying for an MSc in Diabetes at the University of Leicester.
