A senior doctor at Ipswich Hospital has been appointed as an honorary professor in recognition of the major contribution he has made to diabetes research and education.

Prof Gerry Rayman, who has been a consultant at Ipswich since 1993, took up his role with the University of East Anglia (UEA) on Tuesday, August 1. His appointment means he is the only UEA professor currently working at the hospital.

In addition to his research work, Prof Rayman has been given the accolade for the support he has given to the UEA’s medical school for the past decade and his role supervising doctors completing higher degrees.

At the same time, he has become the diabetes clinical lead for a national project called GIRFT, which stands for ‘Get It Right First Time’. In this role, Prof Rayman will visit trusts across the country to identify and share best practice while making suggestions which will improve efficiency and the care which people with diabetes receive.

“I decided to specialise in diabetes after I started helping people to understand and manage the condition, which I found very empowering,” said Prof Rayman, who leads the hospital’s Diabetes Research Team and is a visiting professor with the University of Suffolk. “I also developed a particular interest in diabetes education and research, both of which can make a real difference to people with diabetes.

“The professorship is an endorsement of not only my research work, but also of the excellent clinical and research team we have in place at Ipswich, without who this would not have been achieved. It is nice to receive that recognition.

“I am excited by the GIRFT project, which will focus on improving the quality of diabetes services across the country. We have done tremendous things here in East Suffolk for inpatient and community diabetes care. Sharing this best practice, learning from other teams across the country and finding ways to support others to implement service changes and innovations in their own trusts will be a stimulating and rewarding challenge.

“I also hope to bring back ideas from elsewhere which could improve the services we provide for local people still further.”