Health Innovation West Midlands has appointed Tim Robbins and Sally Sandel as Clinical Leads for its Hybrid Closed Loop (HCL) Programme, supporting the rollout of life-changing diabetes technology that is transforming the care of people living with type 1 diabetes across the region.

Announced to coincide with World Diabetes Day (14 November) the appointments will provide clinical leadership for the West Midlands element of a programme being delivered jointly by Health Innovation West Midlands and Health Innovation East Midlands to support the adoption of Hybrid Closed Loop technology and improve outcomes for people living with type 1 diabetes.

Tim Robbins, Consultant Physician in Diabetes, Endocrinology and General Internal Medicine at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust (UHCW), brings extensive expertise in diabetes technology, innovation and research. He has undertaken a Winston Churchill Memorial Fellowship to the United States and an Albert Renold Fellowship to the Basque Country, studying international exemplars of diabetes care. His specialist interests include diabetes technology, diabetes safety, transition and young adult diabetes care, and obesity management.

Alongside his clinical work, Tim is an Honorary Associate Clinical Professor at Warwick Medical School and Co-Chair of UHCW’s Digital and Data Driven Research Unit. He is also leading work towards the implementation of teplizumab therapy at UHCW, an innovative treatment designed to delay the onset of type 1 diabetes in eligible individuals at high risk of developing the condition.

He said:

“The rapid evolution of diabetes technology presents a significant opportunity to improve outcomes and experiences for people living with diabetes. Hybrid Closed Loop systems are already demonstrating remarkable benefits, and I look forward to working with colleagues across the West Midlands to support equitable adoption and share learning across services.”

Joining Tim in the programme’s clinical leadership team is Sally Sandel, Diabetes Specialist Nurse at Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (MPFT). Sally has a particular interest in person-centred diabetes care, insulin pump therapy and service development. As Clinical Lead for the Community Pump Service at MPFT, she supports people living with diabetes to access and optimise advanced diabetes technologies, helping them build confidence in self-management and improve health outcomes.

Sally is passionate about reducing health inequalities and improving access to specialist diabetes support. She is also involved in developing neighbourhood-based models of care that bring multidisciplinary teams together to deliver integrated, proactive support closer to people’s homes.

Sally said:

“World Diabetes Day is an opportunity to highlight both the realities of living with diabetes and the potential of innovation to improve people’s lives. Hybrid Closed Loop systems are transforming diabetes care by reducing the burden of day-to-day management and helping people achieve better glucose control and quality of life. I’m looking forward to working with colleagues across the region to help ensure equitable access to these advances.”

The Hybrid Closed Loop Programme, delivered jointly by Health Innovation West Midlands and Health Innovation East Midlands, is supporting NHS organisations across the Midlands to accelerate the adoption of HCL systems, helping more people living with type 1 diabetes benefit from technology that automatically adjusts insulin delivery in response to real-time glucose readings.

The appointment of Tim and Sally strengthens the programme’s clinical leadership in the West Midlands and supports efforts to ensure more people living with type 1 diabetes can benefit from the latest advances in diabetes care, regardless of where they live.