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Young people with diabetes

Home > Services > ESNEFT community diabetes (North East Essex Diabetes Service – NEEDS) > Guide to diabetes under ESNEFT community diabetes service (NEEDS) > Young people with diabetes

Helping young people with diabetes

In North East Essex there are around 450 people living with diabetes under the age of 25 and the majority of these young people have their care provided by us the ESNEFT Community Diabetes (North East Essex Diabetes Service – NEEDS)

We want to make sure that, along with the other 17,000 people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes in North East Essex, our younger patients have access to online help, support and education.

We have a dedicated Facebook page (Opens in a new window) and Instagram account (Opens in a new window) where we post regular updates about the NEEDS service, education courses, local events and relevant news. We also encourage our patients who use social media to post questions on Facebook and Instagram with the hashtag #NEEDShelp.

Type 1 and Type 2
If you are diagnosed aged 16 or over, your care will be provided by ESNEFT Community Diabetes (North East Essex Diabetes Service – NEEDS)

If you are diagnosed under the age of 16, your care will be provided by the Paediatric department at Colchester Hospital, until you turn 19.

If you are currently being supported by the Paediatric Team you will be transferred over to the adult service provided by ESNEFT Community Diabetes (NEEDS) around your 19th birthday.  Prior to this you will have met the NEEDSD team during your time in the joint transition clinic held at Colchester Hospital – this clinic is typically introduced after your 15th birthday and is supported by team members from both ESNEFT Community Diabetes (NEEDS) and the Paediatric Diabetes Service.

If you have type 1 diabetes, you will be offered the opportunity to attend a young persons DAFNE education course. This is an interactive course designed to provide a refresher on your diabetes knowledge, enabling you to confidently manage your diabetes and alter your insulin doses based on blood glucose trends and dietary intake.  As well as look to maintain great control during times of illness and exercise.

Visit the DAFNE website for information on the Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating course (Opens in a new window)

Although your parents will still be involved, the transition stage is much more focused on you taking control of your diabetes and becoming independent.

There are a number of online communities available for young people with type 1 diabetes, including:

Digibete is a website app which is designed for anyone up to 25 years of age with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. It provides information to support living well with diabetes. For further information on downloading the app, visit the Digibete website (Opens in a new window)

Type 1 clinic code 0681W
Type 2 clinic code 0R1PK

If you have type 2 diabetes you have the option of attending a number of education courses which will help you to learn more about type 2 diabetes. These include:

Training and resources for schools, colleges and education – for further information on how you can support students within your education facility, please register for the free online courses on the Breakthrough T1D website (Opens in a new window)

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