The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and Diabetes UK have partnered, investing nearly £3m, to develop research to treat and prevent type 1 diabetes (T1D) distress.
The new funding, awarded to Professor Jackie Sturt at King’s College London, will help to test a new programme known as ‘D-Stress’ to help tackle the overwhelming burden for adults living with the chronic condition.
According to Diabetes UK, around 4.4 million people in the UK are living with diabetes, a metabolic disease characterised by elevated levels of blood glucose.
Occurring when the pancreas does not produce insulin or makes very little insulin, T1D accounts for approximately 10% of diabetes cases in the UK and almost 50% of adults living with the condition experience high levels of diabetes distress.
The new programme aims to deliver care within the NHS for the detection, prevention and management of T1D in adults and will combine three existing treatments.
Researchers will consult with patients living with T1D, along with healthcare professionals (HCPs), to pick aspects of the existing treatments that offer the most potential to be tested in a trial to determine whether they can reduce diabetes distress, improve blood sugar levels and enhance quality of life for this patient population.
In addition, the team will follow up with participating patients and HCPs to determine whether the programme is fit for purpose, deliverable and cost-effective enough to be expanded for NHS use.
If successful, the D-stress programme could revolutionise care for T1D in the UK, marking it as the first treatment to focus on the emotional impact of the condition in the nation.
Sturt said: “Together we seek to develop a care pathway in the NHS to meet the everyday emotional and psychological needs of people living with T1D.”
NIHR programmes scientific director, professor Danny McAuley, commented: “Preventing and treating diabetes distress will help provide better care for thousands of people living with T1D in the UK.”

https://www.nihr.ac.uk/news/nihr-and-diabetes-uk-co-fund-research-to-address-diabetes-distress/36314#:~:text=In%20partnership%20with%20Diabetes%20UK,Stress'%20to%20tackle%20diabetes%20distress.