A new initiative has been launched by NHS England in which people under 40 living with type 2 diabetes will be offered additional health checks, to help lower their risk of diabetes complications.
The initiative, called ‘T2Day: Type 2 Diabetes in the Young’, will be offered to roughly 140,000 people aged 18-39 in England living with type 2 diabetes.
The risk factors for type 2 diabetes are multiple and complex. They include ethnicity, social deprivation, family history, living with overweight or obesity and high blood pressure.
Type 2 diabetes has until recently been quite rare in those aged under 40, but the condition is known to have more severe and acute consequences in people under 40 and, without the right treatment and support, it can lead to serious complications that include kidney failure and heart disease.
How will this benefit people with type 2 diabetes?
The £14.5m initiative will see people receive additional health checks from healthcare staff which are tailored to the person. Healthcare staff will also support with aspects of diabetes management such as:
- Monitoring blood sugar levels
- Weight management
- Minimising their risk of cardiovascular complications.
People supported on the programme will also be able to discuss medication and treatments with healthcare staff that could potentially improve their diabetes management.
Additionally, women will be able to receive support and information on pregnancy, as well as access to contraception and folic acid supplements.
People on the programme may also be able to access the NHS Type 2 Diabetes Path to Remission programme, in which someone adopts a ‘soups and shakes diet’ to try and put their type 2 diabetes into remission.
When can I access this programme?
If you are eligible for support on the T2DAY programme, then over the coming months you will be offered a review by a healthcare professional, to take place either at your doctor’s surgery or another healthcare setting, to discuss your type 2 diabetes management.
You do not need to contact your doctor to make this appointment, and please do not worry if you are not immediately contacted but you can contact your healthcare team for any questions, concerns or symptoms relating to your type 2 diabetes.
The programme will run until at least March 2025.
Why has this programme been launched?
The NHS says that this is a world-first programme in which a national, targeted programme will exist to treat type 2 diabetes in people under 40.
One reason the programme has been created is that people aged 18-39 living with type 2 diabetes are less likely to receive all their annual diabetes health checks, the NHS says.
By ensuring people receive these checks, the NHS hopes it will minimise the risk of people going on to develop complications of diabetes in later life.
Chris Askew OBE, Chief Executive of Diabetes UK said:
“This is a vitally important step towards improving care for people who develop type 2 diabetes at an early age.
“Type 2 diabetes is a serious, life-changing condition. It can have more severe and acute consequences in younger adults, and is more common in people from ethnic minorities and those living in the most deprived areas. Yet we know that access to vital routine diabetes care is lower in the 18-39 age group – putting those affected at a higher risk of potentially devastating complications.
“This programme is a welcome and much-needed opportunity to address these existing inequalities in type 2 diabetes care. We hope to see it included in the Government’s forthcoming Major Conditions Strategy, and sustained with further funding if it proves to be effective."
We are currently welcoming applications for research projects on early onset type 2 diabetes, which closes in December. For further details please contact our Research team at research@diabetes.org.uk
