Courses for patients

The North East Essex Diabetes Service (NEEDS) offers a range of structured education programmes for people living with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.
Whether you have recently been diagnosed or have been living with diabetes for many years, education can help you build the knowledge, skills and confidence to manage your diabetes effectively.

Courses are available in community venues across North East Essex, with some programmes also being offered online. Our team will help you find the course that best meets your needs.

Available Courses:
For people with Type 2 diabetes: ·

DESMOND (Diabetes Education and Self-Management for Ongoing and Newly Diagnosed) 1-day group course

· Type 2 Diabetes Patient Conference (3-hours)

· Conversation Maps (2 hours for newly diagnosed only)

· myDESMOND Online (online self-directed learning)

· Healthy Living for People with T2 Diabetes (online self-directed learning)

For people with Type 1 diabetes:

· DAFNE (Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating): Learn practical skills like carbohydrate counting, calculating insulin-to-carbohydrate ratios, interpreting blood glucose data, and safely adjusting insulin for exercise, alcohol, and illness. This is a practical course with intensive support over 5 weeks.

· DAFNE Introduction to Carbohydrate Counting (Online self-directed learning)

· T1 Essentials (1-day comprehensive course covering DAFNE topics)

Why Attend a Diabetes Education Course?
Structured diabetes education is an important part of diabetes care and is recommended by the NHS.
Research shows that people who attend structured education programmes are more likely to:

· Understand their diabetes and treatment better
· Feel more confident managing their condition
· Improve their blood glucose levels
· Reduce their risk of diabetes-related complications
· Make informed decisions about food, activity and medication
· Improve their overall health and wellbeing

The vast majority of people who attend our education programmes report improved knowledge and understanding of their diabetes.

Participant Stories:

Watch videos of the experiences of people with type 1 diabetes who have attended DAFNE

Free Online Learning Courses:

Healthy Living for Type 2 Diabetes

Healthy Living is a free NHS online program for people living with Type 2 diabetes.
The programme includes information and support on:

· Healthy eating
· Physical activity
· Emotional wellbeing
· Looking after your long-term health
· Living with diabetes at work, when travelling and when driving

Online Learning for Type 1 Diabetes
There are several free online education platforms available for people living with Type 1 diabetes.
These programmes provide information and support on topics including:

· Carbohydrate counting
· Physical activity
· Insulin management
· Insulin pump therapy
· Living well with Type 1 diabetes

The programs often include practical tools, resources and information in multiple languages.

Some options are:
· Digibete (videos targeting young people, but also useful for adults)
· BERTIE Diabetes
· Diabetes UK Learning Zone
· Breakthrough T1D
· Carbs & Cals

Book a Course
To book a course or find out more about the course options available, please call NEEDS on 0345 241 3313 (Option 2) or email needs-info@esneft.nhs.uk