The New Year started off with some positive news when an independent NICE committee recommended the use of hybrid closed loop systems for managing blood glucose levels in type 1 diabetes.
A chronic kidney disease guideline was also released in January by the KDIGO Work Group.
Also this month the Diabetes Times launched a new podcast series. New research showed that COVID-19 is not that effective on the incidence of diabetes when compared with risks in several comparator groups.
Meanwhile, the CamAPS FX app was successfully trialled for use by people living with type 2 diabetes.
In January, new research also shows that HbA1c screening in middle-aged adults can help diagnose diabetes two years faster than routine clinical care. A low-carbohydrate diet was also found to help people living with type 2 diabetes put their condition into remission.
A story which hit the headlines this month was that the consultation period opened for an updated NICE guideline on diabetes in children and young people.
Meanwhile, latest research found that fully closed-loop insulin delivery is better at improving glucose control without increasing hypoglycaemia risk compared to standard insulin therapy. In February Professor Ketan Dhatariya predicted that the use of continuous ketone monitoring will be the next step in the evolution of type 1 diabetes management.
Also this month, a study published in the journal Diabetes Care reported that intensive systolic blood pressure lowering does not increase the risk of major adverse kidney events in people with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular problems.
The ABCD was on the search for a talented healthcare professional to join its executive team and Professor Melanie Davies CBE presented a Facebook live video to highlight the importance of the five S’s - sitting, stepping, sweating, strengthening and sleep.
In March, it was announced that specialist NHS services would soon be able to supply the NICE approved weight-loss drug Wegovy.
NICE published updated guidelines on how to manage type 1 and type 2 diabetes in adults and how finerenone can treat chronic kidney disease in people with type 2 diabetes.
In addition, the National Paediatric Diabetes Audit (NPDA) published a new report on the care and outcomes of children and young people living with the condition in 2021/22.
Professor Jonathan Valabhji and Professor Partha Kar detected five areas NHS Integrated Care Boards should focus on to improve diabetes care. Also in March, the National Advisory Panel for Care Home Diabetes (NAPCHD) published interim findings of its Strategic Document of Diabetes Care for Care Homes.
Meanwhile, latest research revealed that vitamin B12 deficiency is an independent predictor of diabetic gastroparesis in people with type 2 diabetes.
In April, hundreds of healthcare professionals attended the Diabetes UK Professional Conference (DUKPC) 2023. During the conference, Dr Alistair Lumb revealed the latest results of the National Diabetes Inpatient Safety Audit.
Professor Mike Lean and Professor Roy Taylor MBE also unveiled the latest findings of the DiRECT intervention at DUKPC 2023. According to findings presented at DUKPC 2023, people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes during adolescence are likely to die a decade earlier than those who develop the condition later in life.
Also during April, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust became the first site to offer new remote testing technology designed to improve screening for gestational diabetes to expectant mothers.
Additionally, a new study revealed that dapagliflozin reduces hospitalisations in people with type 2 diabetes. This month Trend Diabetes also announced that its National Conference will be held in Newcastle for the first time.
A shocking new report into the state of diabetes care in England was published in May and it revealed thousands of excess deaths, ‘deeply alarming’ numbers of missed checks and stark health inequalities.
Earlier in the month, Diabetes UK Chief Executive Chris Askew OBE announced that he was stepping down after eight years leading the charity. In addition, research concluded that probucol could be the potential co-drug for adjunct therapy with metformin when treating people living with type 2 diabetes.
Also during May, primary and secondary care teams across the UK and Ireland took part in Insulin Safety Week. A therapy review service for people with type 2 diabetes was launched to help the NHS recover after the COVID-19 pandemic.
And, a first-of-its-kind accreditation programme to improve the quality of diabetes inpatient care across the UK launched at the end of the month. In May it was also announced that Professor Roman Hovorka will be presented with the EASD-Novo Nordisk Foundation Diabetes Prize for Excellence at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) meeting in Hamburg, Germany.
June was a big month for the diabetes community when news broke at ADA 2023 that Eli Lilly and Company’s tirzepatide led to superior weight reduction in people with overweight and type 2 diabetes.
Major breakthroughs in type 1 diabetes cell therapy were unveiled at ADA. Earlier in the month the NHS announced that it was opening new specialist clinics for obese children and young people.
The Department of Health and Social Care announced in June that there was a shortage of all glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists. Researchers found that behavioural health interventions positively impact people experiencing diabetes distress.
Meanwhile, Diabetes UK detected nine ‘core’ genes that directly impact the risk of type 1 diabetes. And new research published in June revealed that having diabetes can negatively impact mental health.
Also this month, Professor Kamlesh Khunti CBE was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Dundee.
Also in June, a flash and CGM education pack for primary care professionals was put together by the Effective Diabetes Education Now (EDEN) programme. Dr Helen Murphy also won the Norbert Freinkel Award as part of ADA’s 2023 Professional Membership Awards.
In July, NHS England opened the recruitment process for the new National Clinical Director for Diabetes and Obesity.
A study by NIHR ARC East Midlands revealed that women with a history of gestational diabetes who are using Babysteps mHealth walk an extra 500 steps per day compared to those receiving standard routine care.
The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) issued a national patient safety alert on the shortage of GLP-1 receptor agonists in July to tell doctors to only prescribe semaglutide to people living with diabetes.
July was the month Menarini became the exclusive distributor for INVOKANA® (canagliflozin) and VOKANAMET® (fixed-dose combination of canagliflozin and metformin) in the UK.
Also this month, Sanofi launched a new Green Award to celebrate and applaud teams, organisations and individuals who work in healthcare that have led a project which have reduced carbon emissions. July saw the English Diabetes Footcare Network launch an online Peer Review to improve England’s footcare services.
Research published in July also showed that the combined effects of semaglutide with cagrilintide in people with type 2 diabetes triggered significant weight loss and improvements in blood sugar control.
A new NHS repost published in August shows that there were 66 million drug items used to treat diabetes in England in 2022/23.
In addition, Care England announced that it was supporting new care home and diabetes guidelines developed by the National Advisory Panel on Care Home Diabetes (NAPCHD). Earlier this month, a UK first of its kind trial found that mental health treatment could be vital in reducing hospital admissions and time spent in hospital for people with severe diabetes.
Also in August, the Gro Health app was made available to people living in West Sussex. A study published this month reported that people living with overweight or obesity are 20 per cent less likely to develop heart problems if they are treated with once-weekly semaglutide 2.4 mg.
Meanwhile, Professor Alan Sinclair said his age won’t stop him from working to improve the lives of older people living with diabetes.
In September, the Joint British Diabetes Societies (JBDS) for Inpatient Care Group revealed that current inpatient diabetes staffing is much lower than needed in most hospital trusts.
The European Geriatric Medicine Society and the European Diabetes Working Party for Older People released amended guidance on the primary care management of older people with type 2 diabetes. New survey findings released in September revealed that overall glucose control is poor in people with diabetes during enteral feeding treatment.
Nearly 500 sites across the UK and Ireland took part in Hypo Awareness Week in September. This month also saw Wegovy become available in the UK through a controlled and limited launch.
Research published in the New England Journal of Medicine in September found that Wegovy helps improve symptoms of heart failure in people with preserved ejection fraction.
Also this month, Professor Jonathan Valabhji OBE stepped down from his role as the National Clinical Director for Diabetes and Obesity at NHS England. Meanwhile, Colette Marshall was appointed as Diabetes UK's new Chief Executive.
October saw the 13th annual QiC awards recognise initiatives that improve the lives of people living with diabetes.
The 59th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) took place at the beginning of October in Hamburg, Germany.
According to research presented at EASD, hybrid closed-loop technology improves maternal glucose levels during pregnancy complicated by type 1 diabetes. In addition, a new meta-analysis combining 22 studies showed that tirzepatide is superior to semaglutide for both blood sugar control and weight loss.
Results from the PROTECT study were released in October, showing that teplizumab can preserve beta cell function in children and adolescents newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Also that month, Gro Health was recommended by NICE.
Meanwhile, the results from the National Diabetes Audit and the National Pregnancy Audit were published in August. Professor Kamlesh Khunti CBE and Professor Partha Kar OBE were listed in the Health Service Journal’s (HSJ) top 50 most influential Black, Asian and minority ethnic people in health list.
Later this month, Andrea Lake was appointed as the new Chair of the Diabetes Inpatient Specialist Nurse (DISN) UK Group. Additionally, Afon Technology won the Wales STEM Award for the creation of the world’s first non-invasive wearable blood glucose sensor.
Also in October, Candice Ward and Professor Deborah Christie took part in the DT Big Interview.
In November, an independent NICE committee recommended that all people with type 1 diabetes should be offered a hybrid closed loop system.
Eli Lilly and Company announced that the MHRA granted marketing authorisation for tirzepatide for weight management. Additionally, a world-first research programme that will identify adults at high risk of developing type 1 diabetes opened for recruitment.
New research published in November found that the active ingredient in Wegovy and Ozempic reduced the risk of heart attacks and strokes in a large trial of people with cardiovascular disease who were considered overweight or had obesity. In the Big Interview, international diabetes consultant who has been at the forefront of diabetes technology for 22 years, Professor Pratik Choudhary talked about how continuous glucose monitoring helps people better understand and manage hypoglycaemia.
Earlier this month, new guidance on how to monitor ketones in people with diabetes was launched.
In addition, Afon Technology published the findings of its survey on World Diabetes Day, which showed that more than one in four people with type 1 diabetes experience dangerously low blood sugar levels at least once every three days.
Meanwhile, Professor Kamlesh Khunti earned a coveted spot on the front cover of Diabetes Care outlining how a multidisciplinary approach will improve the care offered to people living with diabetes and multiple long-term conditions (MLTC). And, Trend Diabetes published a new diabetes and dementia guideline in November.
In December, NICE published landmark guidance outlining details of who will be offered hybrid closed-loop technology in England and Wales. GlucoRx also revealed that more than 6,300 of its HypoCards have been handed out.
According to the results of a world-first clinical trial published in December, a commonly prescribed rheumatoid arthritis drug can suppress the progression of type 1 diabetes. Additionally, the International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot (IWGDF) and Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) released new guidance on how to manage foot infections in people living with diabetes.
Meanwhile, a register giving all people with diabetes living in Scotland an opportunity to be contacted about taking part in research projects hit the 20,000 volunteers mark.
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