Children's and young People's diabetes services: What works well and what doesn't?

The first year of care, post diagnosis, is pivotal for children and young people diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. This study evaluated a paediatric type 1 diabetes intervention, the 'First Year of Care', designed to maximise the care that newly diagnosed children and young people received.

An observational mixed methods approach, underpinned by the Influencer Framework.

A purposeful, non-probability sample of children and young people with type 1 diabetes and their families, and healthcare professionals were invited to take part. Data were collected through medical records of thirty-two newly diagnosed children and young people, plus thirty seven semi-structured interviews and exposure to six concurrent sources of influence through a questionnaire.

For many participants, HbA1c levels were within the optimal range by the time of their first clinic visit post-diagnosis and continued to stay within this range throughout the first year of care. Healthcare professionals prioritised the 'First Year of Care' intervention. Positive practices included: a cohesive and collaborative approach; patient-centred care; latest health technology and embedded structured education. Unusually, different multidisciplinary team members were located in one place.Data indicated statistically significant differences in total sources of influence score (t [35] = 2.331, p = 0.026); healthcare professionals' scores were higher compared to children. This suggests that children and young people have less social capital to self-manage their diabetes effectively. Greater encouragement and assistance from healthcare professionals and social networks may be needed.

This paper identifies contemporary issues in practice and highlights the strengths and challenges for a paediatric diabetes intervention. The findings confirm the potential of layered approaches to behaviour change in managing type 1 diabetes across multiple domains of influence. Our study strongly suggests enhancing social motivation among children, young people and families to support successful long-term engagement in a paediatric diabetes intervention. Findings demonstrate healthcare professionals are key in delivering the intervention, along with opportunities to improve patient care, experience and outcomes.