The Scottish Diabetes Advisory Council (SDAC) is an independent group of expert advisers and critical friends to Diabetes Scotland who provide scientific, clinical and lived-experience insight to help shape our priorities and work across Scotland. Aligned to Diabetes UK ambitions and informed by Scotland’s unique health and policy landscape, SDAC supports Diabetes Scotland to maximise its influence, impact and reach.
SDAC's membership brings together people with a personal connection to diabetes, alongside healthcare professionals, researchers and clinicians, ensuring that lived experience and professional expertise are equally represented. This diverse membership provides a breadth of perspectives that help inform and strengthen Diabetes Scotland’s work.
SDAC provides expert advice, challenge and strategic guidance on issues affecting the prevention, treatment and support of people at risk and those living with diabetes in Scotland. Drawing on a diverse range of perspectives, the Council helps ensure that Diabetes Scotland’s work is evidence-based, relevant and responsive to the needs of people affected by diabetes.
Working collaboratively with Diabetes Scotland, SDAC also offers insight on the implications of policy developments at Westminster, Holyrood and NHS Board level, helping to inform our advocacy, influence decision-making and improve outcomes for people living with or at risk of diabetes across Scotland.
Purpose of Membership
SDAC membership should bring together a diverse range of expertise, perspectives and experiences to provide robust advice, challenge and insight to Diabetes Scotland, ensuring that the voices of people affected by diabetes are central to decision-making.
Proposed membership structure
A council of approximately 12–15 members with a mix of:
Lived experience members
Individuals with a personal connection to diabetes, including:
- People living with type 1 diabetes
- People living with type 2 diabetes
- People living with rarer forms of diabetes
- People who have experienced gestational diabetes (GDM)
- Carers, parents or family members of people affected by diabetes
- Individuals representing communities disproportionately affected by diabetes
(for example, South Asian and Black people under 40 are three times more likely to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes than other groups, additionally, people living in socio-economic deprived areas where households in this area are twice as likely as more affluent households to have type 2).
Clinical members
Healthcare professionals working within diabetes care and related specialisms, such as:
- Consultant diabetologists
- Diabetes specialist nurses
- GPs with a diabetes interest
- Allied health professionals (dietitians, podiatrists, psychologists, pharmacists)
Research and academic members
Individuals with expertise in:
- Diabetes research
- Public health
- Prevention and health inequalities
- Health services evaluation
Strategic or policy members
- Individuals with expertise in:
- Health policy
- Health economics
- NHS leadership
- Public health strategy
- Service transformation
Membership principles
Members should collectively:
- Reflect the diversity of Scotland's population and diabetes community.
- Represent a balance of lived experience and professional expertise.
- Bring independent perspectives and constructive challenge.
- Act in the best interests of people living with or at risk of diabetes in Scotland.
- Support Diabetes Scotland's mission while maintaining their independence as advisers.
- Respect the views of other members of the council and allow them to have a voice.
Terms of membership
- Initial term of 2 years
- Opportunity to renew
- Meetings held quarterly
- Hybrid attendance model
- Voluntary position, with reasonable expenses reimbursed
- Members expected to champion the work of Diabetes Scotland where appropriate
Draft membership statement
SDAC membership will bring together people with lived experience of diabetes alongside clinicians, healthcare professionals, researchers and policy experts from across Scotland.
Members will be recruited through an open and transparent process, supported by targeted recruitment where necessary to ensure diversity of perspective, geography and expertise.
Collectively, members will act as independent advisers and critical friends to Diabetes Scotland, providing strategic insight, constructive challenge and informed recommendations to help improve outcomes for people living with or at risk of diabetes across Scotland.
