Diabetes Awareness

Diabetes awareness training delivered at your workplace. Half a day. In-depth coverage of blood glucose management, hypoglycaemia response, diet and nutrition, and foot care. Includes a live blood glucose demonstration in every session.

Course Overview

Approximately 4.7 million people are living with diagnosed diabetes in the UK, and an estimated 1.3 million more have Type 2 diabetes but don’t yet know it. In health and social care settings, diabetes isn’t an occasional consideration. It’s a daily reality for a significant proportion of the people being supported, and the quality of that support depends on whether the people providing care genuinely understand what they’re dealing with.

One of the most consistent gaps this course encounters is the assumption that diabetes means Type 1 or Type 2 and nothing else. It doesn’t. There are several distinct types of diabetes, each with different causes, different management needs, and different risks. Gestational diabetes, MODY (Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young), and secondary diabetes are all conditions care workers may encounter without ever having been told they exist. That gap in knowledge has real consequences for the individuals being supported.

This course also goes further than most diabetes awareness training on diet and nutrition, because the role of food in diabetes management is one of the areas where care workers can make the most practical difference to an individual’s day-to-day health. Understanding which foods affect blood glucose and why, how meal timing matters, and how to support informed food choices without overstepping the care worker’s role are skills that directly improve outcomes for people living with diabetes. This course is an awareness course. It doesn’t include insulin administration or any other clinical procedure. Those sit with registered nurses and appropriately trained clinicians. The course reflects current guidance from Diabetes UK, NICE guideline NG28, NICE guideline NG17, and aligns with CQC Regulation 12: Safe Care and Treatment.

Course Details

  • Duration: Half day (3 to 4 hours)
  • Delivery: Face-to-face only, at your workplace or chosen venue
  • Certificate: CPD-Accredited Certificate of Achievement in Diabetes Awareness
  • Awarding organisations: CPD-Accredited
  • Validity: No formal expiry. Refresher is recommended every 1 to 3 years, or sooner following changes to NICE guidance, individual diabetes management plans, or where supervision or audit identifies practice gaps.
  • Group size: Maximum 15 learners per trainer

Who This Course Is For

This course is right for any care staff involved in the day-to-day support of individuals living with diabetes, in residential, nursing, domiciliary, and community settings.

  • Care assistants and support workers in care homes, supported living, and domiciliary care
  • Senior carers and team leaders
  • Residential, nursing home, and community care staff
  • Staff supporting individuals with diabetes alongside other long-term conditions
  • New starters whose induction includes supporting individuals with diabetes

No prior clinical knowledge is needed.

If your organisation needs insulin injection training for clinical staff, we work with associate trainers who can deliver this on request. Get in touch, and we will discuss what is appropriate for your setting.

Not sure whether this course covers what your team needs? Get in touch, and we’ll help you work it out before you commit.

Why This Training Matters

Diabetes is one of the most prevalent long-term conditions in the UK and one of the most serious when poorly managed. Uncontrolled blood glucose levels cause damage to blood vessels and nerves over time, leading to complications including cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, sight loss, and lower limb amputation. Many of these complications are preventable with appropriate support and early recognition of warning signs.

In care settings, the most immediate risks are hypoglycaemia and hyperglycaemia. A person experiencing a hypoglycaemic episode can deteriorate rapidly. Symptoms including confusion, aggression, sweating, and unsteadiness are frequently misread by untrained staff as behavioural issues. The consequences of that misreading can be serious and, in some cases, life-threatening. If you suspect someone is having a hypoglycaemic episode and cannot rouse them or they lose consciousness, call 999 immediately. NICE guideline NG28 and NICE guideline NG17 are both clear on the importance of timely recognition and response. You can read more on what to do in our guide What to do if someone’s blood sugar suddenly drops.

Under CQC Regulation 12: Safe Care and Treatment, providers must ensure care workers have the knowledge to recognise and escalate diabetes-related concerns with appropriate urgency. CQC inspectors look at how long-term conditions, including diabetes, are managed and monitored in care settings. A service that cannot demonstrate staff understanding of diabetes and its complications has an identifiable gap in safe care delivery.

What the Day Covers

All content reflects NICE guideline NG28, NICE guideline NG17, and current guidance from Diabetes UK and NHS England throughout. Topics covered include:

  • What diabetes is and how it affects blood glucose regulation
  • Types of diabetes: Type 1, Type 2, gestational, MODY, secondary, and why the distinctions matter for care
  • Causes, risk factors, and the national prevention picture
  • Hypoglycaemia: recognition, immediate response, and escalation
  • Hyperglycaemia: recognition, monitoring, and when to seek medical advice
  • Blood glucose monitoring: what it involves, what readings indicate, and what care workers need to know
  • Diet and nutrition in diabetes management: the role of carbohydrates, portion size, meal timing, and supporting healthy food choices without overstepping the care worker role
  • Foot care and skin integrity: why diabetes increases risk and what to observe and report
  • Day-to-day diabetes support: promoting independence, dignity, and informed choice
  • Longer-term complications: an awareness-level overview and the importance of early escalation
  • Record keeping and monitoring: what to document and when to act
  • Escalation pathways: GP, district nurse, and emergency response

Every course is also built to include your organisation’s escalation routes, documentation systems, and any diabetes-specific care planning processes as standard.

The Live Blood Glucose Demonstration

Every face-to-face session of this course includes a live blood glucose finger prick test carried out by the trainer on themselves. This is one of the most practically valuable elements of the course.

Many care workers are expected to record blood glucose readings as part of their role without ever having had the process properly explained or demonstrated. The live demonstration shows learners exactly what the equipment looks like, how a test is carried out, what a reading means, and what the appropriate response is to different results.

The demonstration is conducted in a controlled environment with full infection prevention and control measures in place throughout, in line with current IPC guidance. Learners observe rather than participate. The purpose is clarity and confidence, not clinical training.

This element is included in every face-to-face session as standard. It is not available for online delivery, which is one of the reasons this course is delivered face-to-face only.

How the Course Is Delivered

This course is delivered face-to-face only, at your workplace or chosen venue. The live blood glucose demonstration is one of the most distinctive and practically valuable elements of this training and cannot be replicated online.

Groups are capped at 15 to ensure every learner gets sufficient time for discussion and questions. Every session is built around your working environment, the specific types of diabetes present in your service, and your internal monitoring and escalation processes. We also design each course to incorporate your documentation systems, diabetes care planning processes, and any practice gaps identified through supervision or audit. If you haven’t reviewed your diabetes care standards recently, we can discuss what a refresh might look like during the enquiry process.

Delivery includes:

  • Clear explanation of diabetes types, blood glucose management, and the care worker’s role
  • In-depth discussion of diet and nutrition and how it applies to supporting individuals with diabetes day to day
  • Scenario-based discussion covering hypoglycaemia, hyperglycaemia, skin and foot care concerns, and escalation decisions
  • Live blood glucose finger prick demonstration by the trainer

Certification and Validity

On completion, learners receive a CPD-Accredited Certificate of Achievement in Diabetes Awareness.

There is no formal expiry, but a refresher is recommended every 1 to 3 years, or sooner following changes to NICE guidance, significant changes to an individual’s diabetes management plan, or where supervision or audit identifies gaps in practice. Given the clinical risks associated with unrecognised hypoglycaemia or hyperglycaemia, organisations supporting a high proportion of people with diabetes may benefit from a shorter refresher cycle. Our Medication Awareness training pairs naturally with this course for teams supporting individuals with complex medication needs alongside diabetes.

Why Organisations Book With Prima Cura

Most training providers arrive with a course. We arrive with yours.

Before the day, we gather information about your workplace: your incident reporting forms, your internal procedures, the specific hazards your team actually faces. On the day, your trainer works that into every scenario, every discussion, every practical exercise. If your staff work in a care home, they’re not practising on hypothetical office workers. If your team are lone workers, that context shapes how the session runs.

It means the training lands. Not because it was well-delivered in a generic sense, but because it was relevant to the people in the room and the situations they’ll actually encounter.

A few other things that matter to the organisations that book with us:

  • 98.9% learner satisfaction across all Prima Cura courses
  • All trainers hold Enhanced DBS certificates and maintain ongoing CPD
  • We advise honestly on the qualification level at the enquiry stage. If a different course is a better fit for your workforce, we’ll say so before you book, not after

We respond to all enquiries within one working day.

Where We Deliver

We deliver in-house training at your workplace or chosen venue across Manchester, Greater Manchester, and the wider North West. We also deliver nationally across England, including North England, South England, London, and Surrey.

All sessions are led by experienced Prima Cura Training instructors. Groups are capped at 15 per trainer to protect the quality of hands-on learning.

Our associate network means we can deliver across England. You can meet the team on our Associates page.

FAQs

Does this course cover more than just Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes?

Yes, and this is one of the most important things it addresses. Many care workers arrive knowing only Type 1 and Type 2. This course covers gestational diabetes, MODY (Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young), and secondary diabetes as well, because care workers encounter all of these in practice. Understanding that diabetes is not a two-type condition changes how staff approach the individuals they support and improves the quality of observation and escalation.

What is the live blood glucose demonstration, and who carries it out?

In every face-to-face session, the trainer carries out a live finger-prick blood glucose test on themselves. Learners observe rather than participate. The demonstration is conducted in a controlled environment with full infection prevention and control measures in place. It gives learners a clear understanding of what the test involves, what the equipment looks like, what a reading means, and how to respond to different results. This element is specific to face-to-face delivery and is one of the reasons this course is not available online.

What is hypoglycaemia and why is it a medical emergency?

Hypoglycaemia is when blood glucose drops below the normal range, typically below 4 mmol/L. Symptoms include confusion, shakiness, sweating, aggression, and loss of consciousness. It can deteriorate rapidly and, if not treated promptly, can become life-threatening. It is frequently misread by untrained staff as behavioural problems. If someone is unresponsive or you cannot rouse them, call 999 immediately. This course ensures care workers can recognise hypoglycaemia early, respond appropriately, and escalate without delay. You can read more in our guide What to do if someone’s blood sugar suddenly drops.

Why does diabetes affect foot care and skin integrity?

Diabetes can cause peripheral neuropathy, which reduces sensation in the feet, and poor circulation, which slows wound healing. Minor skin damage, blisters, or pressure areas that would be unremarkable in another person can escalate rapidly in someone with diabetes. Care workers who do not understand this connection may not escalate concerns with appropriate urgency. This course covers the link between diabetes and skin and foot health, and what to observe, record, and report. We deliver this training across Greater Manchester, the wider North West, and nationally.

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Book or Enquire

Book your training or request a quote

Tell us your team size and your sector. We’ll come back with a quote, the right advice on qualification level, and a straight answer on whether this is the best course for your team.

We respond to all enquiries within one working day.

Our Commitment to Quality and Compliance

At Prima Cura Training, all courses reflect current UK guidance and best practice. All trainers are experienced professionals with relevant qualifications and ongoing CPD. Because many of the organisations we support work with vulnerable individuals, all trainers hold Enhanced DBS checks.

This course is reviewed against updates from Diabetes UK, NICE guidelines NG17 and NG28, NHS England, the Care Quality Commission, and current UK diabetes care guidance, including the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

You can read more on our Quality Assurance and Compliance page.

Reviewed by Stephanie Austin, Owner and Lead Trainer, Prima Cura Training | 25+ years in health and social care | 15+ years as a trainer | Last reviewed: June 2026 | Next review: June 2027

This page is for general guidance only and reflects current UK legislation, NICE guidance, and sector best practice as of the date of review. It does not constitute clinical or medical advice. Diabetes Awareness Training is an awareness-level course for care workers and does not include insulin administration, blood glucose testing by learners, or any other clinical procedure. The live blood glucose demonstration is carried out by the trainer only, in a controlled environment with infection prevention and control measures in place, and does not constitute clinical training for learners. Care workers must always act within their role, in line with the individual’s diabetes care plan, and in accordance with their organisation’s policies and procedures. If you suspect someone is experiencing a hypoglycaemic or hyperglycaemic emergency, call 999 immediately.

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