Development of a Primary Care Diabetes Psychology Service

People with diabetes are at increased risk of depression and anxiety disorder compared to people without the condition, and many or most people with diabetes experience difficulties coping with the condition at some point in their lives. However, depression in individuals with diabetes often remains undiagnosed and access to psychological support and care is limited. The authors aimed to address this gap in support and care at a local level by developing a specialised primary care diabetes psychology service within the framework of the national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme. Here, the authors describe the development of the service and present data from five pilot sites in Kent. In addition, they describe the development and evaluation of a diabetes psychology training workshop for mental health workers and an online training programme to increase awareness of the psychological implications of living with and managing diabetes.