Living with diabetes can be a challenge: it's a condition people have to deal with all day, every day and can affect every part of someone's life. We are here to support them and make it easier, no matter their age or stage of their condition.
Careline is one of many ways people affected by diabetes can get support, and in 2015 we were able to reach more people with this service. Charlotte was one of those people, and like many people with diabetes she always has so much to think about and the realisation she had to take insulin on a flight only struck her at the last minute. Uncertain and anxious about taking it through airport security, she called us. We put her mind at ease and explained exactly what she needed to do so she didn't have to worry.
After the call I felt relieved. No matter what I call about, the empathy and support I get from the team never wavers.
Charlotte, Careline caller
2015 Achievements
Our Careline helped its highest number of people this year: 22,361.
2015 was the Care in School Helpline's first full year of service, helping over 180 families get the care their children deserve in school.
We work with young people from across the UK to create YouTube resources called Type1Uncut. In 2015 it was recognised for its impact on young people with a 'Quality in Care' award. These awards recognise, reward and share good practie in diabetes management, education and patient care.
We set up 40 new peer support groups so more people with Type 2 diabetes could support each other by sharing their stories and experiences.
11,000 people registered to educate themselves about managing their Type 2 diabetes via our online course, Type 2 Diabetes and Me.
In 2015, we launched Mobile Membership for those with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, or parents of children with Type 1 diabetes.
Our Living with Diabetes Days continue to help people around the UK by giving people with Type 2 diabetes the tools and confidence to live healthier lives. Over 90% of attendees rated them as good or excellent. According to Brenda, they "let you know you could live a normal life with diabetes. Coming away from the day, i felt like a different person!"
Thanks to our partnership with Tesco, we were able to run 14 extra Care Events for those affected by Type 1 diabetes. These enabled us to trial new formats and types of events, such as events targeting the 18-30 age group and one night events for children
Future plans
We will engage more with those affected by Type 1 diabetes. In 2015, we launched packs for those that have been recently diagnosed in Wales so that families feel supported from day one of their diabetes journey, and we will now be rolling them out across the rest of the UK.
We'll launch a new Careline webchat service - giving us a new way of connecting with people.
Our online forum will expand, enabling more people with diabetes to talk to others with the condition.
We'll improve our approach to education online by developing specific modules for long term diagnosed and those with Type 1 diabetes.
Meet David
12 year old David attended a week-long children's event in 2015. For David, living with diabetes is pretty tough physically and psychologically. Having to constantly check blood sugars made him feel different.
His week at the Care Event changed this.
"I trusted the wonderful Diabetes UK team to care for David and they were fantastic. I am eternally grateful for the respite they gave me from diabetes for one week...You gave David more confidence and more importantly, he came back with renewed energy and a much better attitude towards his diabetes because he felt less alone. We would go every year if we could!"
