Education and training

Education and training are a central focus for us. We are committed to supporting our staff and students and providing them with the knowledge and skills they need to provide the best possible care for patients and the communities we serve.

We have developed innovative online education and training offers  available locally, nationally and across the globe. This includes educational resources tailored to students learning needs. 

Highlights in this area include:

• Postgraduate Certificate modules in Diabetes and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.
• Development of MSc modules in the Diabetic Foot and Surgical management of obesity.
• MSc Diabetes: Clinical Care and Management, a three-year part-time online programme for health professionals. The programme aims to equip students with critically developed advanced practice skills for diabetes clinical care and management; develop students into independent learners who are able to identify and synthesise clinical problems and issues at both the individual and care system levels; provide an educational framework to enable students to acquire and demonstrate generic transferable competencies in formulating diabetes management plans.
• Training workshops and events around the use of diabetes technology, including glucose sensors, insulin pumps, and hybrid closed loop systems. We are supporting the upskilling of a broad range of staff who interact with patients with diabetes to ensure that everyone eligible is able to access and make best use of diabetes technology.
• Funding of a cross-site inpatient educator role to work across Guy’s and St Thomas’, King’s College Hospital, and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (NHS FT) sites to develop a sustainable approach to staff diabetes education. Given that an estimated 25% of inpatients at our acute trusts have diabetes, this role will help to ensure the staff that care for them have the skills and support they need to best care for their patients. 

We also focus on developing and delivering educational courses for patients. For example:

• Since 2015, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS FT has been running a highly commended Youth Empowerment Skills (YES) programme across south London. Originally a pilot, the programme is co-designed and co-delivered by young people and focuses on all aspects of life as a young person, not just their diabetes. The programme also touches on topics such as drugs, alcohol, and sexual health, as well as supporting social connectivity and skills development.
• King’s College Hospital NHS FT has led on the development of a new intervention for people with type 1 diabetes whose problematic hypoglycaemia despite otherwise optimised diabetes self-management. The HARPdoc programme is a structured education programme. The recent randomised controlled trial showed a unique shift in unhelpful health beliefs and a reduction in severe hypoglycaemia. As added benefit, there were significant improvements in scores for diabetes distress and for general anxiety and depression.  There is currently no other treatment option for this group of highly vulnerable patients.
• Guy’s and St Thomas’ and King’s College Hospital NHS FTs are piloting a first-of-its-kind education and support programme for young people (aged 18-25yrs) with type 2 diabetes called ‘Type 2 Take 2’. This tailored programme, co-designed by young people for young people, is currently being evaluated by King’s College London.
• The Lancet Commission on Diagnostic Criteria of Clinical Obesity aims to define criteria between the condition of obesity (a risk factor for other diseases) and clinical obesity - intended as a disease state. This would be associated with distinct pathophysiology and specific signs and symptoms that reflect ongoing illness. This 18 month Commission is a partnership between the medical journal The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology and King’s Health Partners (KHP) Diabetes, Endocrinology and Obesity. 

Our plans

Over the coming years we will continue to support our workforce through a range of formal and informal educational initiatives. This extends to our partners across the south east London system, and nationally and internationally. We will provide our workforce with access to a flexible and diverse range of educational opportunities which will be delivered online, across teams and through formal and informal courses.

We will continue to have a strong emphasis on identifying and nurturing emerging academic talent within our partnership, through a range of lectureships, fellowships and other academic pathways, as well as developing innovative patient education, training and resources to support and empower people living with diabetes and obesity.

Visit our Learning Hub for our free courses to help staff work with patients to prevent and manage diabetes.

Read our latest news and learn more about upcoming events.

To get in touch with the Institute and learn more about our work, please email DEO@kcl.ac.uk.