A NURSE whose vision helped hundreds of diabetic people avoid leg amputations has retired.

Kath Eccles, 59, dedicated more than 40 years to nursing in East Lancashire.

Naming Florence Nightingale as her heroine, she was dubbed an NHS hero herself last year, appearing in television series featuring staff making exceptional differences to their patients’ health.

And in 2006 she was awarded the Florence Nightingale scholarship to conduct research in Australia and the USA, comparing the care of diabetic feet in Aboriginal and Native American communities to those offered by national health systems.

Kath’s career began at Queen’s Park Hospital in 1969 as an 18-year-old nursing cadet.

She became a staff nurse in the A&E department, developing a special interest in orthopaedics.

While running the hospital’s fracture and orthopaedic clinic she first teamed up with Dr Geraint Jones, a diabetes specialist who is now East Lancashire Hospitals’ medical director.

With a newly-created diabetes team they designed a service dedicated to protecting patients’ feet.

Diabetes can cause severe problems with blood flow in feet, meaning many patients experience numbness, swelling and severe ulcers.

These ulcers are very difficult to get rid of, and can develop into infections so severe that patients' legs have to be amputated.

Together with fellow diabetic foot specialist Gill Lomax, Kath also developed the Blackburn Boot cast.

It relieves pressure on diabetic ulcers and helps ensure foot lesions heal quickly and safely.

The service and boot have both been adopted all over the UK and Blackburn with Darwen still has the lowest rate of diabetes-related amputation in the country, despite a high prevalence of the disease.

Dr Jones said: “Kath is proud to be a nurse, and that pride has always shone through in every aspect of her work.

“She is knowledgeable and forthright, but also remarkably humble about her achievements.

“She never gives up on a patient. Although she works primarily with diabetic feet, her expertise has helped a huge range of people recover from very difficult wounds, and she is never afraid to challenge orthodoxy.”

Gill said Kath was ‘totally dedicated’ to her patients.

She said: “In her free time she has worked for the Red Cross for many years.

“We will all miss her very much, both personally and professionally, and wish her a very happy retirement.”