Living with diabetes? So are we.
Diabetes UK’s Peer Support Programme is a volunteer led approach to learn more about living with diabetes from people who understand what it is like to live with the condition and manage it day-to-day.
We offer the opportunity to meet others in your local area who are living with diabetes, to share experiences and practical tips to live well with diabetes. We are developing a network of Peer Support Groups for people to support each other, in relaxed and informal sessions, facilitated by trained volunteer Peer Support Facilitators who have diabetes themselves.
Find a Peer Support Group
To find a Peer Support Group near you, or if you are interested in setting up a group, please contact your local Diabetes UK office.
How can a Peer Support Group help me?
Our groups offer space to discuss any worries people may have with others who understand what they’re going through. You may also find that other members of your group will find your experiences valuable in helping them manage their own diabetes. You will have the opportunity to:
- share experiences and information
- learn more about diabetes and living with a lifelong condition
- support each other and make new friends.
- discover support and activities in your area
- get the latest factsheets and handouts on diabetes.
Even if you are managing your diabetes well, there is still lots that you can gain from being part of a Peer Support group. Our group members have a range of experiences - from those that are newly diagnosed, to those that have been diagnosed for over 20 years, and each person will have slightly different approaches to managing their diabetes to learn from.
“I thoroughly enjoy taking part. We are able to meet in an informal situation, no one was lecturing us, and we are all in it together. The atmosphere was totally relaxed and people didn’t feel embarrassed or stupid about asking questions. We are able to learn from each other and it really helped people to talk about their own situation.”
John Brown, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
"If you have diabetes you might see a health professional for only four hours over the course of a year but you are having to deal with that condition day-in, day-out. For people to have somewhere to go where they can meet others who are in a similar situation and get support is incredibly empowering – it helps them take back control of their lives."
Dr Gerry McCabe, a GP in East and North Hertfordshire
