Northumbria University awarded £1.3 million to improve diabetes care for young adults

Researchers at Northumbria University will lead a major study aimed at helping GP practices across England provide better care for young adults living with type 2 diabetes.

The £1.3 million project, funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), will tackle a significant and growing health challenge. Around 65,000 young adults aged 18-39 across England currently have blood sugar levels above safe targets, putting them at increased risk of serious health problems including heart disease, difficulties with conception and premature death.

Type 2 diabetes was once considered a condition primarily affecting older adults, but rising numbers of younger people are now being diagnosed. Young adults with the condition face particular difficulties. Not only do they often develop a more aggressive form of the disease, but they also struggle to manage it effectively due to competing demands from work and family life, alongside the stigma that can surround having diabetes at a younger age. Improving care for this group has been identified as a priority by NHS England.

Samantha Dottin, who was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in her 30s, said: "It is great to know that there is an opportunity for GP practices to improve their knowledge and care specifically for younger people that are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

"Getting your diagnosis, understanding what it means and knowing how to manage it is different when you are younger. We have to balance work, family and stigma, so it's reassuring to know that your GP understands the bigger picture."

Dr Michael Sykes from Northumbria's School of Healthcare and Nursing Sciences, who is leading the research, said: "This funding enables us to test whether we can better support GP practices to turn data into real improvements in patient care. Young adults with type 2 diabetes can achieve better outcomes than they are at present, and we know that improving things like staff knowledge and how services are organised can make a real difference. This trial will provide crucial evidence about what works at scale."

The study will work with all 1,263 Primary Care Networks across England – making it one of the first attempts to deliver and rigorously evaluate a quality improvement programme of this scale in the NHS. GP practices already receive feedback about how well they're managing diabetes care through the National Diabetes Audit, but the research will test whether providing additional support helps them turn that information into meaningful improvements for patients.

Researchers will compare different forms of support, so groups of practices receive either help delivered through webinars or guidance provided via email and online resources. The study will measure whether these approaches help young adults achieve healthier blood sugar levels and receive the elements of care recommended for managing their condition effectively.

The project will also examine how cost-effective the different approaches are and whether they help reduce health inequalities, using sophisticated modelling to understand the long-term benefits for patients.

NHS England is funding the support programmes themselves, whilst the NIHR grant will pay for the comprehensive evaluation of how well they work. If the approaches prove successful, they could be adopted by other national health programmes seeking to improve patient care on a large scale.

Professor Kathy Rowan, Programme Director for NIHR's Health and Social Care Delivery Research (HSDR) Programme, said: "Rapidly increasing numbers of younger adults are being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, putting them at risk of chronic, and potentially fatal, conditions, such as heart disease. This important research aims to help GPs improve patient care by evaluating current working practices. This research aims to help people with Type 2 diabetes manage blood sugar levels better and tackle the condition earlier to prevent their health from getting worse. For 20 years, NIHR has supported breakthrough research enabling health and social care providers to improve services for patients and users, providing a robust evidence base for effective and efficient services for all."

Adrian Bartlett, Deputy Director for Diabetes, Respiratory, Tobacco, Strategy in NHS England, said: “We welcome this important work, which will shape how the NHS supports the delivery of high-quality care for young adults living with Type 2 Diabetes. It will provide useful insights on the best ways for GPs to improve the experience and quality of care for young people with Type 2 Diabetes.”

Throughout the development of the project, the research team has worked closely with people living with diabetes and healthcare staff to ensure the study addresses real-world needs and can be delivered within existing GP systems.

The Head of Engagement at Diabetes UK, James Beeby, said: “People with diabetes have told us that this is a really important aspect of care for them. They have highlighted the challenges they face and opportunities for improvement.”

The study will run to June 2027 and has research partners based at the universities of Leeds and Galway, Imperial College London, NHS England and NHS West Yorkshire, Diabetes UK and The National Diabetes Audit.