GIRFT report highlights opportunities to improve diabetes care for children and young adults
A new national report from Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) has set out practical recommendations to improve care and support for children and young adults living with diabetes across England. The report provides the most comprehensive national review to date of diabetes services for people aged 0 to 25, examining how care is organised, where variation exists, and how best practice can be adopted more consistently across the NHS.
The review, undertaken in partnership with the NHS Diabetes Programme, draws on findings from all 42 Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) in England. It identifies significant variation in outcomes, access to services and technology, and support during key transition periods, particularly for young adults moving from paediatric to adult care.
The report makes three overarching recommendations for ICBs: strengthening leadership and accountability for diabetes pathways, improving the use of data and intelligence to drive improvement, and implementing nationally agreed minimum standards of care. It also highlights six priority areas for quality improvement, including health outcomes, essential health checks, emergency admissions, access to hybrid closed-loop technology, young adult care, and workforce and governance arrangements.
Around 56,000 children and young adults in England live with type 1 diabetes, with a further 9,000 living with early-onset type 2 diabetes. The report emphasises the importance of high-quality, equitable care in supporting long-term health outcomes, wellbeing and independence for young people managing diabetes.
Further information and the full report are available on the GIRFT website.
