Themes
Specialisms
90 min
9:00 - Opening remarks: Colette Marshall, Chief Executive, Diabetes UK
9:10 - Opening Plenary Lecture: Bridging the inequalities in cardiometabolic care: From evidence to action
Professor Kamlesh Khunti, Professor of Primary Care Diabetes and Vascular Medicine, University of Leicester
We are honoured to welcome Professor Kamlesh Khunti, one of the world’s leading voices in diabetes research, care delivery, and health policy. Drawing on expertise that spans primary care, population health, and system-wide improvement, Professor Khunti will set the tone for the conference with a broad, forward-looking vision for the future of diabetes care.
His plenary lecture will examine where inequities in diabetes care persist, and why acknowledging their existence is essential if we are to close the gaps. He will highlight the collective responsibility of our professional communities to design services that leave no one behind, and to align our efforts with national priorities such as the Fit for the Future: 10-Year Health Plan for England.
This opening session will establish the “why and how to overcome” that underpins the next three days, preparing delegates for deeper discussion across the full spectrum of diabetes science, clinical practice, and innovation.
10:00 - Data is power: How national intelligence can drive equity and quality in diabetes care
Dr Marc Atkin, National Specialty Advisor for Diabetes, NHS England & Dr Clare Hambling, National Clinical Director for Diabetes and Obesity, NHS England
Following the opening address from Diabetes UK and the opening plenary setting out our collective ambition to tackle diabetes health inequity, this centre-stage session brings together national leadership from NHS England to explore how data and intelligence can drive meaningful improvement in diabetes (and obesity) care.
Dr Clare Hambling and Dr Marc Atkins will share an open national update on key developments in the data landscape: highlighting emerging priorities, new opportunities, and how national intelligence can better support quality improvement, reduce unwarranted variation, and strengthen equity across systems.
The session will reflect on how established frameworks and datasets can be used more purposefully in today’s policy and financial climate, shifting the focus from data collection to insight, action and impact.
This session will also signpost to related symposia, workshops and professional interest network sessions across the next three days, helping delegates navigate where deeper dives into data, quality improvement, inequalities and service transformation will continue throughout the conference.
45 min
45 min
50 min
Session title: Spotting and escalating foot infections in primary care
Panel discussion and Q&A with short presentations regarding spotting, and escalating foot infections in primary care.
10:35 - 10:45 - Triage and management of emergency foot infection in community
Vanessa Golding, National Strategic Lead for Diabetes footcare (PIN Lead)
10:45 - 10:55 - Foot complexities in Primary care
Reena Patel, Specialist Nurse in Diabetes
10:55 - 11:05 - ACT NOW foot triage
Jayne Robbie, Specialist Podiatrist, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust
11:05 - 11:25 - Panel discussion and group networking
Chair: Joelle Baynham, Consultant Podiatrist - Diabetes Inpatients, University Hospitals Dorset NHS Trust
40 min
Specialist care Clinical science
40 min
Themes: Overlooked complications, underserved topics
Oral health is one of the most overlooked components of diabetes care. Yet periodontal disease and diabetes exist in a harmful bi-directional relationship, each worsening the other and contributing to increased cardiovascular risk, impaired nutrition, and reduced quality of life.
These challenges are felt most acutely in disadvantaged communities, where access to dental services is limited, food insecurity is common, and inequalities in diabetes outcomes are already stark. For many people living with diabetes, poor oral health is not simply a dental issue, but a barrier to effective self-management, healthy eating, and overall wellbeing.
This session, led by the IDEAL Diabetes collaboration, will explore why oral health remains a missing piece in diabetes care pathways and how under-recognition contributes to avoidable harm. Using data on inequities in access to dental and nutritional services, alongside real-world patient journeys, the speakers will illustrate how oral health, diet, deprivation and diabetes complications intersect in everyday clinical practice.
Through perspectives from dentistry, diabetes care and lived experience, the session will highlight where current NHS pathways fail to join up, and how simple, team-based actions can begin to close these gaps.
11:30 - The current evidence base: understanding the intersection between oral health, diabetes inequity, and clinical outcomes.
Dr Zehra Yonel, Clinical Lecturer - Restorative Dentistry, University of Birmingham
11:40 - Where dental care fits within existing NHS diabetes pathways, and opportunities for better integration.
John Grumitt, Chair, IDEAL CIC & Ambassador, Diabetes UK & Person with type 1 diabetes lived experience
11:50 - A real-world lived experience of navigating NHS dental services at times of need while living with diabetes.
Dr Dominika Antoniszczak, Dentist with special interest in Periodontics and Diabetes & Founder, Periodontitis-Diabetes Hub & Person with type 1 diabetes lived experience
12:00 - Panel discussion and Q&A
Chairs: Dr Stephen Lawrence, Associate Clinical Professor in Diabetes, Warwick Medical School & GP
Specialist care Primary care Community care Paediatrics
40 min
People living with diabetes who experience inequity in care are often those who face the greatest barriers to accessing healthcare. When engagement with services does occur, it may be brief or fragmented - meaning the window of opportunity to make a meaningful difference can be limited and must not be lost.
This places a responsibility on healthcare systems and professionals to ensure that every clinical encounter counts. “Getting it right first time” is not only about clinical decision-making, but about designing services, pathways, and environments that recognise disadvantage, reduce friction, and actively support engagement - particularly for those least able to navigate complex systems.
In this session, Prof Gerry Rayman, GIRFT Clinical Lead for Adult Diabetes Care, and Dr Fulya Mehta, GIRFT Clinical Lead for Children and Young Adults, will outline current and upcoming GIRFT diabetes initiatives across the life course. They will highlight how GIRFT’s work complements the strategic priorities of Diabetes UK and other national stakeholders, and how coordinated, system-level action can help level the quality of diabetes care - so that no opportunity for impact is missed, and no one is left behind.
11:30 - 11:50 - GIRFT Diabetes initiatives - adults
Professor Gerry Rayman, Consultant Diabetologist, Diabetes and Endocrine Centre, Ipswich Hospitals NHS Trust
11:50 - 12:10 - GIRFT Diabetes initatives - children & young adult
Dr Fulya Mehta, Consultant Paediatrician, Alder Hey Children's Hospital, Liverpool
Chair: TBC
Specialist care Community care
60 min
Themes: Healthcare inequity
Specialisms: Community care and Specialist care
The symposium will open with two clinical case scenarios illustrating how unequal diabetes care plays out in real-world practice. There will be strong interaction between panel speakers and active engagement with delegates. The focus will be on solutions, framed around Diabetes UK’s latest strategy.
Specialist care Primary care
60 min
Themes: Youth, mental health
Specialisms: Specialist care and Primary Care
Integrating diabetes care into mental health settings, including managing high-risk cases.
13:25 - Introduction to mental health and high risk diabetes
Dr Christopher Garrett, Consultant in diabetes psychiatry, Bart's Health and East London Foundation Trust
13:40 - Lothian DKA pathway and case vignette
Catriona Howes
13:50 - Recurrent DKA: using mental health law
Dr Fareed Oomer, ST6 Psychiatry trainee, Bart's Health and East London Foundation Trust
14:00 - Recurrent DKA: should we try HCL for this?
Dr Finola Cullenbrooke, ST6, Psychiatry, Bart's Health and East London Foundation Trust
Specialist care Clinical science
60 min
Themes: Diabetes & pregnancy
Specialisms: Clinical science and Specialist care
To summarise the latest research about optimal postnatal care in women with diabetes.
Talk 1 - Breastfeeding interventions in women with diabetes
Sarah Dib, Post-doctoral researcher, University of Leicester
Talk 2 - Lifestyle interventions for prevention of future GDM and T2DM
Shakila Thanagaratinam, Professor of Women's Health, University of Liverpool
60 min
Specialist care Primary care Community care Paediatrics
60 min
INTERACTIVE
Themes: Tech, ethics
- Get ready to use your phones in this interactive exploration of AI in diabetes nutrition
- Practical demonstrations of AI tools currently available for dietitians and diabetes specialists
- Evaluate AI as a friend, foe, or the future of nutrition care through live examples
- Build confidence in safely integrating AI technology into everyday clinical practice
13:25 - 13:50 - TBC
Dr Duane Mellor, Paediatric Diabetes Specialist Dietitian, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
13:50 - 14:15 - TBC
James Ridgeway, Research Associate, Leicester Diabetes Centre & Diabetes Specialist Nurse, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
Chairs: Nusrat Kausar, Clinical Director and Dietitian, Primary Care Dietitians & Dr Duane Mellor, Paediatric Diabetes Specialist Dietitian, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
Specialist care Primary care Community care Clinical science
60 min
INTERACTIVE
Themes: Complications, foot, MDT systems of care
Specialisms: Community care, Specialist care, Primary care
Short specialist MDT presentations then interactive panel discussion of challenges in managing infection across the healthcare environment to incorporate primary secondary care and microbiology, diabetes and vascular surgery.
Talk 1 - Overview of infection challenge FD UK / Wounds UK consensus document
Professor Mike Edmonds, Consultant Diabetologist
Talk 2 - Diabetes inpatients - challenges in acute care front door emergencies and triage
Joelle Baynham, Consultant Podiatrist
Talk 3 - Sole searching: Navigating antibiotic choices in the face of resistance
Harriet Launders, Anti-Infectives Pharmacist
Panel discussion & Q&A
60 min
60 min
Community care
60 mins
Theme: Career development
Specialism: Community care
Everyone in the diabetes community benefits if early career researchers and clinicians are able to fulfil their potential. This session will support academics and clinicians to consider barriers and enablers of diabetes careers for diverse groups.
13:25 - Supporting talented people from diverse ethnic groups: how can we do better?
Bernadette Adeyileka-Tracz , CEO, Diabetes Africa
13:45 - Neurodiversity and diabetes careers: how can we do better?
Almuth McDowall, Professor of Organisational Psychology , Birbeck University of London
14:05 - Building a healthy research culture: what are we aiming for?
Liz Simmonds, Head of Research Culture, University of Cambridge
Specialist care Primary care Community care Clinical science
40 min
Thematic area: Health inequalities & equity
Theme: Technology & innovation
Specialisms: Clinical science, Community care, Specialist care and Primary care
In this session, the chief investigators of the UK-based FreeDM2 randomised controlled trial will present the latest clinical outcomes on the use of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) in people living with type 2 diabetes, building on insights from the landmark FLASH-UK study.
Speakers will focus on the core gluco-metabolic outcomes of FreeDM2, including HbA1c, CGM metrics, and therapy changes, and discuss their implications for future diabetes care strategy. The session will set the scene for the conference’s wider exploration of equity, opening discussion on how access to diabetes technologies might be more effectively levelled across both type 2 and type 1 diabetes populations.
14:35 - Introduction
Professor Pratik Choudhary, Professor in Diabetes, University of Leicester & Honorary Consultant in Diabetes, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (Chair)
14:40 - Study design, rationale and baseline data
Dr Lalantha Leelarathna, Clinical Associate Professor, Imperial College School of Medicine & Consultant in Diabetes, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
14:50 - HbA1c (primary outcome) - CGM metrics and therapy changes
Dr Emma Wilmot, Associate Professor, University of Nottingham & Honorary Consultant Diabetologist, University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust
15:00 - Cost-effective analysis
Professor Rachel Elliott, Professor in Health Economist, University of Manchester
15:10 - Discussion and Q&A
45 min
45 min
50 min
The Integrated Career and Competency Framework for Adult Diabetes Nursing has shaped diabetes specialist nursing practice for over two decades. As diabetes technologies and automated insulin delivery systems become embedded in routine care, the framework has been expanded to support nurses across community, primary, secondary, and inpatient settings. This Professional Interest Network session will explore how early-career diabetes specialist nurses can use the updated framework to build confidence, competence, and career development in an evolving clinical landscape.
Key learning points / take-home messages
1. How the updated competency framework supports early-career diabetes specialist nurses in maintaining safe, confident, and contemporary practice.
2. Understanding the new diabetes technologies competency, including automated insulin delivery systems and their application across care settings.
3. Using the framework to support career progression, professional development, and workforce readiness.
4. Preparing the diabetes nursing community for the next phase of diabetes care and population need.
Specialist care Primary care Community care Clinical science
60 min
Themes: T1D Tech, inequality
This symposium will explore how diabetes technology can be delivered more equitably and effectively for people living with type 1 diabetes. Drawing on clinical and psychiatric expertise, speakers will discuss the subtleties of individualising pathways to closed-loop care.
The session will also examine real-world adoption of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) and closed-loop technologies, including how clinicians assess safety and accuracy when people present with commercially available devices. It provides the context for a linked interactive workshop the following day (G5 – Confidence with diabetes technology: clinical safety and care pathways), where highly complex case examples will be explored to build confidence in safer, person-centred technology access.
Specialist care Primary care
60 min
Themes: Research & discovery
Highlighting three recent areas of cutting-edge world-leading diabetes breakthroughs from UK-based basic and clinical researchers. Includes basic and clinical obesity research as well as personalisation of glucose-lowering therapy.
60 min
9:00 - 9:25 - Diabetes UK Nursing and Allied Healthcare Professional Diabetes Research Award
9:35 - 10:00 - Diabetes UK Primary Care Award
60 min
Specialist care Primary care Community care Paediatrics
60 min
INTERACTIVE
Themes: Neurodiversity, social care
With the increasing recognition and diagnosis of neurodiversity and more and more young people and adults with learning difficulties being supported to live independently, how can the diabetes healthcare community ensure equity of access to care and good outcomes?
Laurence Taggart has been working with focus groups of people with learning difficulties and diabetes to discover what is important for them and will share that information with the conference, giving insights in what we can do now and in the future to model services to meet their needs. Alison Holloway has many years' experience of working with young people with diabetes (both type 1 and type 2) and who are neurodivergent and will explain how that can impact on their ability to manage their diabetes plus give practical tips on how best to support them.
16:15 - What adults with intellectual disability and their carers tell us about diabetes care in the UK.
Professor Laurence Taggart, Professor of Implementation Science, Queen's University Belfast
16:35 - Supporting neurodivergence in diabetes care: Clinical Implications, adaptations and practical strategies
Alison Holloway, Specialist Diabetes Dietitians, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Specialist care Primary care Community care Paediatrics
60 min
Thematic area: Narrative, person-centred
Theme: Psychology & wellbeing in diabetes care, diabetes lived experience
Specialism: Community care, Specialist care, Paediatrics and Primary care
An interactive session with young people from the Together Type 1 team, giving an insight on the challenges of managing diabetes as a young adult, along with examples of effective working relationships with HCP and suggestions for how things can be improved in the future.
60 min
60 min
Specialist care Primary care Community care Paediatrics
60 min
Themes: Policy, quality improvement
- State of the Diabetes Nation from pre conception to the elderly frail population.
- Compare service delivery across the UK discussing variation of care delivery from primary care, paediatrics, young adults and secondary care services.
- Review the increase burden of meeting all care processes and providing access to technology and newer agents.
Specialist care Clinical science
60 min
Themes: Complications, obesity, weight management, metabolic health
- Reviewing the latest evidence for weight loss surgery
- The role of weight loss surgery in diabetes care
- Debating the most effective treatments for diabetes and weight management
- The role of the bariatric surgeon in the diabetes MDT team
17:25 - Chairs opening remarks:
Professor Ahmad Moolla, Visiting Professor & Consultant Physician, Royal Free NHS
17:27 - A summary of the latest evidence for bariatric surgery in people living with diabetes and how to present findings to patients
Professor Jane Blazeby, Professor of Surgery, University of Bristol and Honorary Consultant Surgeon, University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
17:41 - What is the evolving role of the bariatric surgeon and weight loss surgery as part of future multidisciplinary team services for diabetes care?
Ahmed Ahmed, Consultant Surgeon and Clinical Professor in Metabolic Surgery
17:55 - Why early large scale weight loss may be the future of diabetes care
Professor Naveed Sattar, Professor of Cardiometabolic Medicine & Honorary Consultant Physician
18:09 - Discussion and Q&A
60 min
60 min
Basic science
60 min
The session will cover the most recent new evidence on how the brain controls food intake and energy expenditure.
Themes: Inequalities, community engagement, service design, primary care
Talk 1 - Sensory regulation of metabolism
Sophie Steculorum, Prinicpal Invesitgator, Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research
Talk 2 - New Insights into the Brain Control of Appetite and Obesity
Professor Lora Heisler, Professor of Human Nutrition, University of Aberdeen
Talk 3 - Sympathetic Neurobiology in Obesity
Professor Ana Domingos, Professor of Neuroscience, University of Oxford
Specialist care Primary care Community care Paediatrics Clinical science
60 min
INTERACTIVE
Themes: Clinical care & diagnosis, health inequalities, psychosocial impact
Specialisms: Clinical science, Community care, Specialist care, Paediatrics and Primary care
This workshop will cover the practical aspects of diabetes classification with an overview of the EASD/ADA consensus pathway for classification. It will showcase data from a novel prospective study of diabetes classification and include case based discussion on unusual presentations across different age groups, ethnicities and aetiologies.
5:25 - Chair's introduction
5:30 - Improving classification and treatment in newly diagnosed adult-onset diabetes: lessons from the StartRight Study
Professor Angus Jones, University of Exeter and Honorary Consultant Physician, Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
5:45 - Case studies to highlight the impact of ethnicity on classification
Dr Shivani Misra, Consultant Physician, Associate Professor and Head of Section Metabolic Medicine Imperial College London
6:00 - The EASD-ADA Management of type 1 diabetes in adults consensus report: differentiating type 1 diabetes from type 2 diabetes or monogenic diabetes
Richard Holt, Professor in diabetes and endocrinology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton
60 min
60 min
Community care Paediatrics Clinical science
40 min
The DUK Study UNBIASED (Understanding Inequalities and Barriers to Accessing Diabetes Technology in Children and Young People with Type 1 Diabetes) highlights significant disparities in access to diabetes technology for children and young people (CYP) with Type 1 diabetes in the UK, despite overall increased uptake. Recommendations from the study include improving awareness and healthcare policies to ensure equitable access to diabetes technologies, enhancing training and education for healthcare professionals, and prioritising inclusive decision-making with patients and families. The study calls for a multifaceted approach to bridge the gap in diabetes technology access, ensuring that all children and young people in the UK, regardless of their background or location, can benefit from access to diabetes technologies.
8:45am - Empowering families and healthcare professionals: Education, awareness and inclusive decision-making for diabetes technology access
Professor Nick Oliver, Professor of Human Metabolism & Consultant in Diabetes and Endocrinology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
9:00am - Recommendations from the DUK UNBIASED Study to address diabetes technology access disparities for children and young people
Professor May Ng OBE, Professor of Child Health, Edge Hill University & Consultant Paediatrician and Paediatric Endocrinologist, Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
9:15am -Discussion and Q&A
Professor Nick Oliver, Professor May Ng and Katie Lamb
Specialist care Primary care Community care
45 min
Specialisms: Community care, Specialist care and Primary care
Continuous glucose monitoring has been available in the UK for almost two decades and has been increasingly embedded in NHS-funded diabetes care since 2017. As CGM use has expanded rapidly, questions around its recognition in daily living, employment, and driving regulations have remained a source of uncertainty and debate.
In this session, Professor Pratik Choudhary and Professor Katharine Barnard-Kelly will review the latest updates to DVLA regulations relating to CGM, alongside emerging evidence from the FreeDM2 trial demonstrating CGM accuracy and safety in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Speakers will explore how wider CGM access could support safe-driving adherence, particularly for individuals whose ability to meet regulatory requirements is affected by social determinants of health and structural inequities.
8:45am - 9:00am - New DVLA regulations regarding CGM
Professor Pratik Choudhary, Professor in Diabetes, University of Leicester & Honorary Consultant in Diabetes, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
9:00am - 9:15am - How CGM positively influences regulation compliance and safer driving especially beyond T1D population
Professor Katharine Barnard-Kelly, Professor in Health Psychology & Diabetes Clinical Psychologist, Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust
9:15am - 9:30am - Discussion and Q&A
Chair: TBC
Specialist care Primary care Community care Paediatrics Clinical science
60 min
Themes: T1D immunology & immunotheraphy, population & health economics
The possibility of preventing type 1 diabetes is becoming tantalisingly ever closer. So how should we screen, who should we screen and what do we do about the people we already know about with positive diabetes autoantibodies but who have yet to develop full-blown diabetes?
9:35 - Update on screening efforts for T1D in children and young people
Dr Renuka Dias, Birmingham Children's Hospital
9:47 - Update on screening efforts for T1D in adults
Professor Kathleen Gillespie, Professor of Molecular Medicine, University of Bristol
9:59 - Managing screen detected T1D in the NHS- Children and Young People
Dr Rachel Besser, Lead Consultant in Paediatric Diabetes, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford
10:11 - Implementation in the NHS
Dr Marc Aitken, National Speciality Advisor for Diabetes, NHSE
10:23 - Discussion and Q&A
Chairs: Dr Tabitha Randell and Professor Susan Wong, Professor of Diabetes and Metabolism, Cardiff University & Honorary Consultant Physician in Diabetes, University Hospital Wales
Specialist care Primary care
60 min
Themes: Life-course, women's health
Specialisms: Specialist care and Primary care
The session will address diabetes and menopause, highlighting symptom management, cardiovascular risk, hormone therapy, and sex-specific differences in diagnosis and care.
9:35 - Diabetes and menopause: symptoms, cardiovascular risk, hormone therapy, and related challenges.
Dr Itunu Johnson-Sogbetun, UK based portfolio GP (Consultant in Family Medicine)
9:55 - Sex-specific differences in diagnosis
Louise Cooper, PhD candidate, MRC Epidemology Unit, University of Cambridge
10:10 - Sex and gender- specific differences
Dr Marina Politis, Academic Foundation Doctor, Newcastle
10:25 - Q&A
Chairs: Dr Kriss Owen, GP Partner and GP Clinical Lead for Diabetes, Derby and Derbyshire and Dr Danielle Adewusi, Medical Doctor, Founder of Scrub The Stigma
Specialist care Community care Clinical science
60 min
Themes: Complications, health inequality
- different ethnic perspectives on diabetes and cardiometabolic disease
- appreciating that different ethnicities may have different diseases trajectories
- appreciating that there are nuances and knowledge gaps when considering diabetes and ethnicity
9:35 - In people of African-Caribbean and African-American background?
Professor Janaka Karalliedde, Professor of Diabetes & Consultant Physician in Diabetes and Endocrinology
9:50 - Talk 2 - In people from a South East and East Asian background?
Professor Ahmad Moolla, Visiting Professor & Consultant Physician, Royal Free NHS
10:05 - In people from a South Asian background?
Professor Naveed Sattar, Professor of Cardiometabolic Medicine & Honorary Consultant
10:20 - Discussion and Q&A
60 min
60 min
INTERACTIVE
Themes: Overlooked complications, health inequality, women's health
60 min
60 min
60 mins
Theme: Career development
45 min
45 min
Specialist care Basic science Clinical science
60 min
Themes: Young adults, paediatrics, health inequality
Specialisms: Basic science, clinical science and specialist care
Dedicated to young-onset type 2 diabetes in the context of health and research inequity.
Basic science
60 min
Themes: Basic science, clinical science
Muscle wasting is a problem in diabetes. This is made worse by weight loss drugs, causing dramatic lean and fat mass loss. This session will cover mechanisms of muscle loss and strategies to mitigate muscle and strength loss
60 min
60 min
Specialist care Primary care Community care Paediatrics
60 min
INTERACTIVE
Themes: Psychosocial, body image, complications
Join us for a skills focused workshop designed to help healthcare professionals reduce unintentional stigma in diabetes care. Drawing on lived experience, Diabetes UK survey insights, and practical behavioural science tools, this interactive session explores how clinical communication can influence patient trust, engagement, and outcomes. Leave with practical skills you can immediately apply to deliver more person centred, stigma free care.
Specialist care Primary care Basic science
60 min
INTERACTIVE
Themes: Health policy & commissioning, health inequality, cross-disciplinary service integration
- Discuss challenges in sharing resource
- Discuss priorities in providing diabetes care
- Review if the funding is shared appropriately, ie Primary/community secondary care along with medication and increase cost of technology
Specialisms: Community care, Specialist care & Primary care
60 min
60 min
Clinical science
60 min
Specialism: Clinical science
A series of talks to update on what ABCD has been doing over the last 12 months – in particular, the audit activity, the strengthening of IT and IG issues, ongoing. There will also be an update on the work with partner organisations such as NHSE, SfE, and RCP and the issues concerning workforce.
11:35 - An update on ABCD activity
Professor Ketan Dhatariya, Chair ABCD and Consultant in Diabetes and Endocinology
11:55 - An update on ABCD audit activity
Dr Davide Iacuaniello, Consultant in Diabetes and Endocrinology, East and North Herts and Dr David Hopkins, Consultant in Diabetes and Endocrinology, Jersey
12:10 - Workforce issues within D&E
Dr Stella George, Consultant in Diabetes and Endocrinology, East and North Herts
12:25- Q&A
Specialist care
60 min
Themes: Complications, renal
Specialisms: Specialist care
This session will cover:
1. What is the state of the art in early detection of diabetic kidney disease?
2. How can we prevent progression to end stage kidney disease and reduce risk of cardiovascular complications?
3. Does technology help in the management of people with diabetes on renal replacement therapy?
15:00 - Early detection and management of DKD: state of the art
Dr Janaka Karalliedde, Consultant in Diabetes, Guys and St Thomas's Hospital, London
15:25 - Diabetes and renal replacement therapy: can technology help?
Dr Parizad Avari, Consultant Diabetologist, Imperial College Healthcare Trust, London
15:50 - 16:00 - Q&A
Chair: Tahseen A. Chowdhury, Consultant in Diabetes, The Royal London Hospital
Specialist care Clinical science
60 min
Variation in inpatient diabetes care is well documented, yet its impact on underserved and vulnerable populations is often overlooked. This session will explore how inequities manifest in hospital care: from access to specialist teams and variation in day-to-day inpatient management, to disparities in technology use, staff education, and the systems and frameworks required to deliver high-quality care.
Speakers from across organisations including JBDS, the Royal College of Physicians, NHS England, NHS Digital, and Diabetes UK’s Research Steering Group will highlight how research and audit data, alongside standardised competency frameworks for acute hospital trusts, can expose and address these gaps. Through practical examples of interventions that have improved parity in services, delegates will gain strategies to deliver consistent, high-quality, person-centred care for every person admitted to hospital with diabetes - regardless of background or postcode.
Primary care Community care
60 min
Themes: Social determinants, inequalities
- Real-world storytelling explores the diabetes journey through an inequalities lens
- Case studies show how food access and wider health challenges can influence outcomes
- Practical tips for healthcare professionals supporting people affected by food poverty and food insecurity
- A solutions-focused session bridging lived experience, evidence, and action for equitable diabetes care
15:00 - A healthy diet: what and how?
Professor Nita Gandhi Forouhi, Professor of Population Health & Nutrition, MRC Investigator, Programme Leader, NIHR Investigator, MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge
15:15 - Coming soon
15:30 - What clinicians can do: Supporting people day to day
Charlotte Cockman, Dietitian and Researcher, NHS
15:45 - Discussion and Q&A
Chair: Charlotte Cockman, Dietitian and Researcher, NHS
Basic science Clinical science
60 min
Themes: Research strategy
Specialist care Primary care
60 min
INTERACTIVE
Themes: Person-centred, underserved topics
Specialisms: Specialist care and Primary care
The session will explore sexual health in men and women, addressing common challenges such as sexual dysfunction, vaginismus, and dyspareunia, alongside the impact of diabetes. It will also consider sexual satisfaction, type 1 diabetes, and the influence of cultural barriers on care and outcomes.
15:00 - Male sexual health
Dr Steve Jackson, Consultant Physician and Chief Medical Information Officer, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust & Professor Samuel Seidu, Professor in Primary Care Diabetes and Cardio-Metabolic Medicine, Leicester Diabetes Centre & GP Partner
15:20 - Women's health
Dr Danielle Adewusi, Medical Doctor, Founder of Scrub The Stigma
15:40 - Sexual function in women with T1D
Rahab Hashim, Advanced Diabetes Nurse Practitioner and Diabetes Researcher
15:50 - Q&A
Chairs: Dr Jolyon Dales, Consultant Diabetologist, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust & Reena Patel, DSN, Leicester
60 min
INTERACTIVE
Themes: Education, health inequalities
60 min
15:00 - 15:25 - Basic Science
15:35 - 16:00 - Clinical Science
60 min
60 min
Theme: Career development
Hosted and facilitated by members of the Diabetes UK Community Organisation Advisory Committee, who have been developing a simple, practical guide to help healthcare professionals and services work more closely with community organisations, this interactive session aim to bring delegates together to provide input ensuring the guide is as useful, relevant, and impactful as possible.
Participating delegates will be helping to edit and shape the final product, which will be published and distributed by Diabetes UK and made available for wide sharing across the system.
What’s this session about?
This is more than a workshop - it’s a chance to shape something real. Join us for a hands-on, collaborative session where healthcare professionals and community leaders come together to co-design a practical resource that supports stronger, more equitable partnerships.
What you’ll gain from this session?
1. Discover the core principles that make partnerships with community organisations thrive.
2. Hear authentic stories of co-design in action: the wins, the challenges, and the lessons learned.
3. Help shape and refine a new practical guide that supports better, fairer healthcare delivery.
4. Reflect on your own role in building trust-based, equitable collaborations.
45 min
45 min
50 min
Rapid breakthroughs in therapies for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are expanding not only the complexity of clinical care, but also the opportunities for diabetes specialist nurses to develop meaningful research careers. Yet many nurses considering research roles are held back by uncertainty - Am I good enough? Is research for me? Where do I start? This Professional Interest Network session aims to demystify research careers in diabetes nursing and show how research is accessible, valuable, and achievable at different stages of advanced practice.
Key learning points / take-home messages:
1. Understanding the range of research roles available to diabetes specialist nurses and what they involve in practice.
2. Hearing lived experiences from established diabetes research nurses on how their careers developed, including challenges and turning points.
3. Addressing common concerns and misconceptions about research careers — including confidence, capability, and entry routes.
4. Exploring current and future resources, networks, and support, and how research careers align with the Integrated Career and Competency Framework for Adult Diabetes Nursing.
Specialist care Clinical science
60 min
Themes: Diabetes & pregnancy
Specialisms: Clinical science and Specialist care
In line with a Diabetes UK priority, to raise awareness of missed diagnoses, and the potential effects upon stillbirth and other complications.
17:00 - What is the best strategy for diagnosis of GDM?
Camile Powe, Endocrinologist
17:15 - How many cases of gestational diabetes are we missing?
Claire Meek, Professor of Chemical Pathology and Diabetes in pregnancy, University of Leicester
17:30 - Talk TBC
17:45 - Q&A
Chair: Claire Meek, Professor of Chemical Pathology and Diabetes in pregnancy, University of Leicester
Specialist care Primary care Community care
60 min
Themes: Inequalities, community engagement, service design, primary care
Some of the people most affected by diabetes are also the least visible in our services: frail older adults who are housebound or living in care homes, reliant on others for their daily care, and navigating diabetes alongside multimorbidity, poverty, ethnicity-related inequalities, and limited access to health services. Their care is often delivered at the edges of the system by community nurses, care providers, pharmacists, and overstretched teams, yet their needs are rarely centred in diabetes education, guidelines, or service design.
This interactive multidisciplinary session shines a light on this overlooked population. Bringing together perspectives from system leaders, physicians, pharmacists, nurses, and dentistry, the session will explore how social determinants of health translate into real barriers to diabetes care, and how professionals across sectors are responding.
Themes will include the realities of supporting people dependent on community and care-home services; the role of deprescribing and appropriate escalation in the context of frailty; and the frequently neglected issue of dental health and nutrition in people with diabetes who are functionally and socially vulnerable. Through practical examples and shared discussion, delegates will gain insight into how to recognise, advocate for, and better support some of the most marginalised people living with diabetes in the UK today.
Talk 1 - Inequality in plain sight: Why care-dependent older adults with diabetes struggle to access the care they need
Dr Srikanth Bellary, Reader (Metabolic Medicine), Aston University, Birmingham & Consultant (Diabetes and Endocrinology), University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
Talk 2 - Redesigning community diabetes care: GIRFT initiatives for frail adults and an overstretched workforce
Professor Gerry Rayman, GIRFT Diabetes Co-Lead, NHS England; & Consultant Diabetologist, Diabetes Centre and Diabetes Research Unit, Ipswich Hospital
Talk 3 - When less is more: optimising diabetes therapy in ageing, frailty and care-dependency
Anna Hodgkinson, Consultant Specialist Pharmacist (Diabetes), Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. & Diabetes Pharmacist Representative, United Kingdom Clinical Pharmacy Association
Talk 4 - 'caught in the middle: prescribing decisions for care-dependent adults with diabetes and advancing chronic kidney disease'
Hellena Habte-Asres, Diabetes specialist research nurse in Diabetes and Chronic kidney disease, Royal Free Hospital, London
Talk 5 - 'The missing piece: dental care access for care-dependent older adults living with diabetes'
Chairs: Professor Alan Sinclair, Professor in Diabetes Care, Kings College London & Director of Foundation for Diabetes Research in Older People
Specialist care Primary care Community care Paediatrics
60 min
Themes: Young adults, type 1 diabetes
Transition from paediatric to adult diabetes services is essential to get right, with a huge risk of young people being lost to follow up and diabetes management deteriorating. This session will cover:
- Wales's approach to transition, with unified Transition Standards and a dedicated education programme
- A young person's perspective on their transition experience
- An overview of the impact of NHSE's transition pilots
- King's College Hospital's experience of being one of the transition pilot sites; the positives and negatives
17:00 - TBC
17:05 - Strengthening Transition in Wales: National Standards and SEREN Connect
Sara Crowley, Transition Coordinator for Wales, Diabetes Strategic Network
17:20 - Overview of NHSE Transition Pilots - the story so far
Fulya Mehta, NHSE Clinical Lead for CYP with diabetes
17:35 - TBC
60 min
Specialist care Primary care Community care
60 min
INTERACTIVE
Themes: Inpatient care, tech
Young people with diabetes are least likely to attend for retinopathy screening, with those from BAME and areas of high economic deprivation even less likely to attend. What are the barriers that prevent people from attending screening and what can be done to address them? The NHSE Diabetic Eye Screening Portfolio Team have been working with with the NHSE Health Inequalities team to try to answer these questions.
17:00 - Setting the scene on National perspective and context
Dr Peter Scanlon, Consultant Diabetologist, Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
17:15 - TBC
60 min
60 min
60 min
Specialist care Primary care Community care
60 min
Specialisms: Community care, Specialist care, Primary care
Symposium with panel to highlight foot care inequalities in hardest hit communities.
9:00 - Outcomes of root cause analysis in unexpected major amputation in Dorset
Joelle Baynham, Consultant Podiatrist - Diabetes Inpatients and NMP Lead, Bournemouth
9:10 - Social inequality in diabetes
Professor Brian Kennon, Consultant in Diabetes & Endocrinology, Glasgow
9:20 - Inequality paper and rural coastal communities
Dr Aoife Slattery, Inequality and Engagement Lead, DUK
9:30 - ZAPP amputation strategy
Jayne Robbie, Specialist Podiatrist, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust
9:40 - Panel discussion & Q&A
Basic science
60 min
Theme: Diabetes complications, diabetes in older age, frailty & dementia, basic science & research translation
There is a reciprocal relationship between diabetes and dementia. Diabetes drugs might also be useful in treating brain disease. This session will cover the links between diabetes, diabetes drugs and brain health.
60 min
9:00 - 9:25 - Diabetes UK Nursing and Allied Healthcare Professional Diabetes Research Award
9:35 - 10:00 - Diabetes UK Primary Care Award
60 min
Specialist care Primary care Community care Basic science Clinical science
60 min
INTERACTIVE
In this session, Professor Jeremy Turner and Professor Duncan Bassett will explore the underdiagnosis of bone health issues in people with diabetes, particularly within deprived and minoritized communities. The session expands the concept of diabetes complications beyond traditional models, drawing on data across laboratory, translational, and real-world clinical settings. Together, the speakers will highlight the importance of recognising bone health as a core component of equity-focused diabetes care and population health strategies.
9:00am - Professor Jeremy Turner, Consultant endocrinologist, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
9:20am - Professor Duncan Bassett, Consultant endocrinologist, Imperial College Academic Health Science Centre, Imperial College School of Medicine
9:40am - Interactive discussion
Specialist care Primary care Community care Paediatrics
60 min
INTERACTIVE
Specialisms: Community care, Specialist care, Paediatrics, Primary care
This interactive workshop will focus on:
• Avoiding stigmatising language during consultations
• The importance of using appropriate language when delivering a diabetes diagnosis
• Supporting self-management
• Highlight the education through your Type 1 Hero comic books and VR.
60 min
60 min
60 min
This interactive session will provide our basic and clinical research community with insights into what it takes to move a new discovery from the lab to the real world where people can benefit from it. This panel discussion is an opportunity to ask for advice and reflections from experts who enable research translation and commercialisation through Contract Research Organisations (CROs), biotech and pharma companies, regulatory agencies and health service delivery. This session is hosted by the Type 1 Diabetes Grand Challenge but the discussion will not be limited to type 1 diabetes and will cover all aspects of diabetes research.
Specialist care Primary care Community care
40 min
Theme: Diabetes complications, podiatry and footcare
Specialisms: Specialist care, Primary care and Community care
Specialist care Primary care Community care Clinical science
60 min
The important topic of caring for older adults with type 1 diabetes is strikingly absent from current NICE guidance and most national frameworks. This symposium will bring together three speakers with extensive clinical and research experience in this area. This issue will be highlighted by an older adult with type 1 diabetes who will share their experience. If you work in primary, secondary or community care, and believe that nobody with diabetes should be left behind, then this symposium will inspire and equip you to ensure the older adults you work with can age well with type 1 diabetes.
13:25 - Chair's opening remarks
13:29 - The intricate relationship between type 1 diabetes, ageing and frailty
Dr Giuseppe Maltese, Consultant in Diabetes, Endocrinology and Diabetic Medicine, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals
13:41 - Frailty and glucose variability in type 1 diabetes
Dr Jonathan Golding, Specialist registrar, University Hospitals Sussex
13:53 - Integration of secondary care and community specialist services in the management of diabetes technology in frail people with type 1 diabetes
Katie Hards, Diabetes specialist nurse - clinical lead adults service, Oxford
14:05 - No Tech to High Tech, Ageing with Type 1 Diabetes
Iain M Lumsden, Lived experience with type 1 diabetes and using technology
14:15 - Q&A
Chairs: Dr Giuseppe Maltese, Consultant in Diabetes, Endocrinology and Diabetic Medicine, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and Dr Kriss Owen GP partner at Littlewick Medical Centre, Clinical lead for diabetes Derby and Derbyshire ICB
Specialist care Clinical science
60 min
Theme: Technology & innovation, inpatient diabetes care
Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) and insulin pumps are transforming outpatient diabetes care, yet their role in inpatient settings remains variable and uncertain.
This session brings together national clinical, nursing, educational, and research expertise to examine the current evidence, guideline position, and real-world readiness for diabetes technologies in hospital care. Speakers will explore practical challenges including governance, safety, staff training, and system capability, drawing on current national and comparable international guidance (JBDS-IP, DTN-UK, American Diabetes Association and European Association for the Study of Diabetes), as well as widely adopted inpatient education resources.
A focused review of the evidence base will highlight emerging data alongside important gaps that continue to limit confident adoption, helping delegates understand what is known, what remains unclear, and what future research is needed.
By the end of this session, delegates will be able to:
1. Describe the current evidence and guideline position for CGM and insulin pump use in inpatient care
2. Identify key practical, educational, and workforce requirements for safe implementation
3. Recognise current evidence gaps and their implications for clinical decision-making
4. Contribute more confidently to local and national discussions on readiness, risk, and opportunity
13:25 - Current and Emerging Inpatient Diabetes Technologies: Where Are We Now?'
Dr Parizad Avari, Consultant Diabetologist, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust & Honorary Clinical Lecturer in Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College London
13:45 - 'Are Doctors Ready? Training the Medical Workforce for Inpatient Diabetes Technologies'.
Dr Mayank Patel, Consultant Diabetologist, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust & Committee member, Diabetes UK Healthcare Professional Advisory committee
13:55 - 'From Policy to Practice: Supporting Nursing Teams with Inpatient Diabetes Technologies'.
Paula Johnston, Diabetes Specialist Nurse, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
14:05 - 'Is the Evidence Strong Enough? System Readiness and the Current Evidence Base'.
Dr Kalyaani Persad, FY1 Doctor, Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust
14:15 - Panel discussion and Q&A
60 min
Talk 1 - Diabetes and MASLD: Linking pathogenesis and treatment
Professor Jeremy Tomlinson, Professor of Metabolic Endocrinology, Consultant Endocrinologist, Oxford Centre for Diabetes, University of Oxford
Talk 2 - TBC
Talk 3 - TBC
Community care
60 min
Specialism: Community care
The D-stress study is a 5-yr programme to develop and evaluate a care pathway for the assessment, prevention and management of diabetes distress in adults with type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Realist reviews to develop theories (or logic models) for how the D-stress care pathway may work underpinned the development of eight Good Practice Statements for the Assessment of Diabetes Distress in the EASD Clinical Guidelines on this topic 2026. D-stress pre-existed the development of the Guideline Clinical Recommendations for adults with type 1 diabetes but nevertheless embodies them. The presentation will introduce the conference to the 2026 EASD Clinical Guidelines for the Assessment and Management of Diabetes Distress and how the D-stress study will deliver a care pathway for delivering them in the UK.
13:25 - Chair's opening remarks
Richard Holt, Professor in Diabetes & Endocrinology, University of Southampton
13:30 - What Diabetes Distress means to someone living with it: a perspective from type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes
Michelle Law, Person living with type 1 diabetes and Honorary Professor, Exeter University & Mark Tiller, Person living with type 2 diabetes
13:45 - Introduction to the D-stress care pathway and research programme
Jackie Sturt, Professor of Behavioural Medicine in Nursing, King's College London
13:55 - EASD Guideline Good practice statements for the assessment of DD
Richard Holt, Professor in Diabetes & Endocrinology, University of Southampton
14:02 - How might comprehensive assessment of Diabetes Distress work and does it work differently for adults with type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes?
Ruth Harris, Professor of Healthcare for Older Adults, King's College London
14:10 - EASD Clinical recommendations for the management of Diabetes Distress in type 1 diabetes
Richard Holt, Professor in Diabetes & Endocrinology, University of Southampton
14:18 - How might a group, online, psychosocial intervention reduce elevated DD in type 2 diabetes?
Megan Peck, Research Assistant and D-stress doctoral candidate, King's College London
Specialist care Clinical science
60 min
Themes: Women's health, psychosocial care
Specialisms: Clinical science and Specialist care
To summarise key challenges faced by women with T2D and to update attendees on the latest developments in these fields.
17:00 - Pubertal timing and risk of type 2 diabetes
Ken Ong, Professor of Paediatric Epidemiology, University of Cambridge
17:15 - Fertility challenges in women with diabetes
Caroline Ovadia, Clinical Senior Lecturer, Centre for Reproductive Health, University of Edinburgh
17:30 - Navigating cultural barriers to contraceptive use
Hina Jawaid, GP
Chairs: Megan Heague, SFP Doctor, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Bernadette Adeyileka-Tracz, CEO, Diabetes Africa
Specialist care Primary care Community care Clinical science
60 min
Specialisms: Clinical science, Community care, Specialist care and Primary care
This interactive session examines how widening access to CGM for people living with type 2 diabetes may improve lived experience and quality of life, drawing on quantitative and qualitative outcomes from the FreeDM2 study.
Investigators and a study participant will explore the impact of CGM on lifestyle behaviours, wellbeing, and day-to-day diabetes management, including patient-reported outcomes and qualitative insights. The session will conclude with a facilitated panel discussion and audience interaction, focusing on access equity, real-world implementation, and what meaningful CGM adoption could look like for people with type 2 diabetes across diverse communities.
13:25 - Introduction
Professor Ramzi Ajjan, Consultant Diabetologist, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust & Professor of Metabolic Medicine, University of Leeds
13:30 - Summary of glycaemic outcomes from FreeDM2 study
Dr Sankalpa Neupane, Consultant in Diabetes and Endocrinology, Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust & Honorary Associate Professor, University of East Anglia
Professor Mark Evans, Professor of Diabetic Medicine, University of Cambridge & Consultant in Diabetes and Endocrinology, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
13:40 - Physical activity and diet outcomes
Professor Tom Yates, Professor of Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour and Health, University of Leicester
13:50 - Insights from qualitative interviews and PROMs
Professor Katharine Barnard-Kelly, Professor in Health Psychology & Diabetes Clinical Psychologist, Southern NHS Foundation Trust
14:00 - Interview with FreeDM2 study participant with lived experience
Mr Kamran Rashid and Dr Emma Wilmot
60 min
Featuring Prof Helen Bevan, Prof Guy Lubitsh, and a Liverpool-based NHS leader, this closing plenary will explore how leadership values, behaviours, and structures can adapt in response to financial constraints, workforce shortages, and rising demand across the diabetes care pathway.
Each speaker will bring a distinct perspective. The Liverpool-based leader will provide a local anchor, sharing lived leadership experience from the host region. Prof Guy Lubitsh will draw on organisational psychology and leadership expertise to show how teams can adapt and thrive in challenging contexts. Prof Helen Bevan will inspire delegates to see themselves as change agents, leaving with the confidence and tools to lead for equity and innovation.
The session brings together the conference’s core themes of equity, collaboration, and innovation, combining personal insights from NHS system leaders with values-based approaches to inspire delegates with practical ideas they can take back to their own settings.
