Young adults

Somewhere between your paediatric team and adult healthcare, a lot changes — not just who you see, but how much of this is now on you. That shift can feel sudden, and it doesn't always come with a clear explanation of what's different or what's expected. We understand the unique highs and lows that can come with this transition, and are here to help.

What’s different about adult care

Paediatric diabetes care is often built around your parents or carers being closely involved — appointments, education, decisions, day-to-day management. Adult care assumes you're driving it yourself. That's a big change, and usually comes on top of a changing care team when you transition to a new service or hospital. It's normal for it to take some adjustment, not something you should already have figured out on day one.

Moving out of home, starting uni or a new job, travelling, dating, a big night out with friends — diabetes doesn't sit outside any of that, and it shouldn't have to. Rather than generic advice, we'll talk through the situations that actually come up in your life: how to manage your glucose around irregular uni timetables or shift work, driving and diabetes, what to know about alcohol and diabetes before a night out, how to talk to a new partner about it if and when you want to, or how to manage things confidently when you're living independently for the first time.

Book an appointment

How we can help

Our aim isn't just to get you through this transition period, but rather it's to build a relationship with you that holds up over the years ahead, as your circumstances, priorities, and needs keep changing. Managing diabetes well long-term isn't about a single appointment getting everything right; it's about having someone you can rely on and somewhere to come back to, without judgement, whenever something shifts.

We'll take the time to understand where you're at — what you already manage confidently, what still feels unclear, and how involved you'd like your family to be, if at all. Some people want their parents fully in the loop for a while longer; others are ready to handle appointments and their diabetes entirely on their own. Both (or somewhere in between) are completely fine, and that can also change over time.

Whether you're navigating this yourself, or your family is helping you get started, we're glad to work with whichever setup makes sense for you right now.

Resources