Managing type 1 diabetes can be time-consuming and exhausting, both mentally and physically, for anyone living with it.
Alongside self-management and accessing an array of skilled healthcare professionals to manage chronic disease sits peer support – a much undervalued and underutilised resource to improve health and wellbeing.
Creating the Peer Support Principles best practice document, launched on World Diabetes Day 2022, has only been achieved through the hard work, drive and total commitment of a number of amazing colleagues within NHS England, Diabetes UK and JDRF UK, together with six wonderful individuals with lived experience.
It’s a true example of partnership working, at a national level, to improve patient outcomes. We’re delighted to be able to share the document with systems, healthcare professionals and the community and voluntary sector so that they can implement learning at a local level and really make a difference to the lives of type 1 diabetes patients.
Support for people living with type 1 diabetes continues to evolve in England. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of digital education programmes for type 1 diabetes, like Digibeteand the MyDiabetesMyWay app, as well as the expansion of technology, has meant there are many new tools for self-management. These are proving to be popular with patients and, judging by data showing that people with type 1 diabetes have had fewer admissions with diabetic ketoacidosis since the start of the pandemic, making a genuinely positive contribution to healthcare.
The document is yet another step in the right direction for 360° care for type 1 diabetes patients, and we sincerely hope that it can be another effective pillar of support in the diabetes community.
