Diabetes resources
Published: 21 December 2021
This was published when the organisation was the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.
Sections on this page
For pharmacists
Prevention
- Identify people at risk of developing diabetes (and other vascular conditions).
- Offer lifestyle advice and make appropriate interventions.
Diet and lifestyle
- Public Health England: Healthy eating
- Community pharmacy: public health interventions
- NICE Community pharmacies: promoting health and wellbeing
Physical activity
- Department of Health and Social Care UK physical activity guidelines
- General practice physical activity questionnaire (GPPAQ)
- NICE Physical activity: brief advice for adults in primary care
- Public Health England Health matters: public health issues
- Public Health England: Physical activity: applying All Our Health
- Public health England Health Matters: Your adult physical activity toolkit
Blood pressure
- Public Health England High blood pressure: plan and deliver effective services and treatment
- Public Health England Health matters: combating high blood pressure
- The British and Irish Hypertension Society
Alcohol screening
Smoking cessation
Identification and diagnosis
Proactively identify people with diabetes within the community setting. Refer appropriately to the GP or other healthcare professionals. Early diagnosis of diabetes can significantly reduce the risk of developing complication.
- NHS health checks
- NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme
- Know Your Risk tool
- CKS Diabetes – type 2
- Diabetes UK Diagnostic criteria for diabetes
Initial support
Support people with diabetes in the early stages of taking a new course of medicines. Help improve medicines adherence.
- Diabetes UK: Explaining diabetes type 2 to patients
- CKS Diabetes – type 2
- RCPharm Polypharmacy guide
- Diabetes education: knowing more about your condition
- Medicines optimisation guide
- Counselling patients on use of medicines guide
- Electronic Medicines Compendium
- Medication history guide
- Medication reviews in England
Ongoing care and preventing or delaying complications
Support people with diabetes to monitor and manage their long-term condition. Help appropriately manage complications and the risk factors for complications e.g. renal complications.
- CKS Diabetes – type 2
- Diabetes UK Ramadan and diabetes
- Think Kidneys
- Diabetes UK Improving diabetes footcare
- NICE Foot care for people with diabetes
Signposting for patients
Diet and lifestyle
Blood pressure
Smoking and alcohol
Diabetes
- Diabetes UK Diabetes education & information for your patients
- NHS Diabetes
- Diabetes UK
- NHS inform (Scotland)
- My Diabetes My Way (Scotland)
- NHS Getting diagnosed – Type 2 diabetes
- Diabetes UK Annual diabetes checks
- Diabetes UK Diabetes treatments
- Diabetes UK Complications of diabetes
- NHS How to look after your feet if you have diabetes
- Diabetes UK Driving and diabetes
- Diabetes UK Diabetes and checking your blood sugars
Further reading
Training and resources to help your clinical practice
- Diabetes UK Resources to improve your clinical practice
- Shared practice in diabetes care
- Improving inpatient care for people with diabetes
- e-LfH Diabetic Foot Screening – Interactive Assessment programme
- Foot Risk Awareness and Management Education (FRAME) Diabetes Foot Screening – e-learning resource
- CPPE – Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education
- Diabetes Frail
Policies
Clinical guidelines, pathways and frameworks
- NICE Type 2 diabetes: prevention in people at high risk
- NHS England Diabetes
- Joint British Diabetes Societies (JBDS) for Inpatient Care group guidelines
- Diabetes Frail guidelines
- A Healthier Future: type 2 Diabetes prevention, early detection and intervention: framework
Toolkits and competency frameworks
Audits
- National Diabetes Inpatient Audit (NaDIA)
- National Pregnancy in Diabetes (NPID) Audit
- National Diabetes Footcare Audit (NDFA)
- National Diabetes Transition Audit (NDTA)
Research and analysis
- Public Health England Diabetes prevalence estimates for local populations
- Public Health England Diabetes outcomes versus expenditure (DOVE) in local populations
- Public Health England Cardiovascular disease data and analysis: guide for health professionals
Examples of pharmacy-based diabetes services
- Information on Locally Commissioned Services (England) including guidance on development of local services, template service specifications and resources can be found on the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) website.
- PSNC Service database.
- Diabetes.org.uk. (2019). A pharmacist led initiative to support insulin self-administration [Accessed 25 Mar. 2019].
- The Pharmaceutical Journal (2025). Why I set up a pharmacist-led one-stop diabetes clinic in my GP practice. [Accessed 30 June 2026].
- NHS England (2019). Transforming elective care services diabetes England.nhs.uk [Accessed 25 Mar. 2019].
- Dashora, U., Sampson, M., Castro, E., Stanisstreet, D., Jones, C. and Hillson, R. (2019). The best joint pharmacy and diabetes team initiative to improve insulin and prescribing safety in hospital Bjd-abcd.com. [Accessed 25 Mar. 2019].