Diabetes doesn't have to stop your child from living life to the full.
With careful management, you can help your child to manage their condition
Learning to manage diabetes takes time, patience and effort – not to mention coping with difficult emotions after diagnosis. There are no short-cuts and it can take time to understand the condition; but we can help them stay healthy, active and happy.
Let us show you how...
- Information for young people with a new diagnosis of type 1 diabetes
- Managing food, activity and type 1 diabetes: An introduction for newly diagnosed children and families
- Under Five’s, Food, Activity and Diabetes
- What care to expect after your child has been diagnosed with Diabetes
- Video: Managing food and type 1 diabetes: a short talk for families new to diabetes
- Please download the latest patient information leaflet about remote clinics
- Setting up MyCare
- Need help with video clinics - contact a tech buddy
Exploring thoughts and feelings about diabetes
- Psychological support for children, young people and families living with diabetes factsheet
- Emotional well being with diabetes leaflet
- What young people would like everyone to know about Type 1 Diabetes
Self-referral to the psychology team
Support and opportunities to meet others
- ‘Tree of Life’ video
- DiaMEETes
- Mindfulness Parent Wellbeing Group is an 8 week online group for parents of children who have a long term health condition and are under the care of UCLH. For more information or register your interest please email: uclh.capsychology@nhs.net
- Getting Ready for Transition to secondary school (GReaT). The GReaT Group is for young people with Type 1 Diabetes, who are transitioning to secondary school, and their parents. All those eliglible will receive an invite in the post
- Navigating the exam period. An online session for those in Years 10-13, with a consultant at UCLH, to share ideas about managing exams and assessments when a health condition gets in the way
Understanding blood glucose levels
- Correcting a high blood glucose level factsheet
- Sick day rules – multiple daily injections factsheet
- Sick day rules – insulin pump therapy factsheet
- Making sense of your waking blood glucose measurement factsheet
- Ketones and Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) factsheet
- What young people would like everyone to know about Type 1 Diabetes
- A guide to continuous glucose monitoring
- Using Dexcom G6 at mealtimes
- Protecting your skin when using insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors
- Dexcom G6: What works for me: keeping the sensor patch on
- Freestyle Libre: Sensor application and adhesion guide
You can also have a look at the resources on the Dexcom website:
Pumps and devices
Essential advice and guidance from both experts and users
- Sick day rules - insulin pump therapy
- What to do if my pump breaks
- See our Diabetes Videos page to view 'how to' videos
Please download the latest patient information leaflet about remote clinics.
Medtronic
- Understanding Carelink reports
- Carelink Personal Upload and Install Guide 2018
- Set up/access your account
Freestyle Libre
- Set up/access your LibreView account here
- Getting started with LibreView
- Linking your LibreView account to UCLH
Dexcom
Diasend
Nutrition and exercise
Food and lifestyle are important parts of managing diabetes. Being active and eating well can help with glucose management and increasing the time you spend with glucose levels in target range.
Having diabetes does not mean that you need a special diet but you do need to know lots about food, how your body works and how insulin works to match food and insulin, as well as how to eat well to grow and have a healthy body.
Eating isn't just about glucose levels; we want you to be able to enjoy food and manage diabetes. The diabetes dietitians are here to help you with everything about food and diabetes and activity management, from carbohydrate counting to eating out and managing food and drink on holiday and beyond. You will find information about eating well for all ages and managing diabetes on the information sheets in this section. There are also links to great resources for different ages to help everyone in the family eat well and be active.
We have a team of 4 dietitians and have weekly clinics, as well as group sessions for cooking and counting carbs. Find out all about the dietitians on the Meet the Team pages. You can contact us for an appointment or advice by email uclh.cddietitians@nhs.net.
- Eating well with Diabetes
- Managing food, activity and type 1 diabetes: An introduction for newly diagnosed children and families
- What is Glycaemic Index
- Carbohydrate counting at school
- Insulin Pump Bolus Options
- Coeliac disease and diabetes factsheet
- Carbohydrate counting using cup measures
- Managing high fat and protein meals – Medtronic 640G pump
- Managing high fat and protein meals – Omnipod pump
- Managing high fat and protein meals – T-Slim pump
- Religious Fasting and Type 1 Diabetes
- Ramadan and type 1 diabetes factsheet
- Under Five’s, Food, Activity and Diabetes
- Drinking alcohol safely with Type 1 Diabetes
- Moving to seconday school
- Using Dexcom at mealtimes
- Video: Managing food and type 1 diabetes: a short talk for families new to diabetes
- Healthy eating and carbohydrate counting for children and adults with type 1 diabetes - Indian Foods
The dietitian team at Bristol children's hospital, along with a Somali link worker, have produced 3 carbohydrate counting videos:
- Counting carbohydrates using a Carbs & Cals book and a digital scale
- Carbohydrate counting using the Carbs & Cals app
- Counting carbohydrates using food labels
Apps families and young people find useful for carbohydrate counting and bolus advice
- Carbs and cals app
- My Fitness Pal app
- Diabetes M
- Diabetes M bolus advice app
- MyLife bolus advice app
- mySugr
Websites for further information
- Digibete
- Coeliac UK
- Glycemic Index – University of Sydney
- Glycemic Index Foundation
- British Nutrition Foundation Food Explorer for recipe analysis
- British Nutrition Foundation: 5532-a-day Perfect portions for little tums (1-4 years)
- British Dietetic Association food fact sheets
- Change 4 Life Healthy Eating
- Infant and Toddler Forum toddler portion sizes
- Infant and Toddler Forum tips on managing fussy eating
- Video – five tips for parents of fussy eaters
No-sweat guidance on how to enjoy sport and exercise
- Exercise and type 1 diabetes - Getting started advice
- Exercise and activity management - insulin pumps
- Exercise snacks
- Information for sports coaches
- Exercise and activity management - multiple daily injections
- Activity Trip planning
- Exercise and type 1 diabetes – building muscle mass
- Under Five’s, Food, Activity and Diabetes
- Duke of Edinburgh Awards
Useful websites:
Education
All the homework you need to excel at school
- Exam guidance for children and young people with type 1 diabetes
- JDRF schools pack
- Nutrition in Schools for Teachers, Parents and Young People
- Dexcom G6 School Guide
- Diabetes UK - Diabetes in Schools
- Medtronic Minimed 780G School Guide
- Moving to Secondary School
Care Plans
Every young person with type 1 diabetes requires an individual health care plan (IHCP) for school.
Please download and complete ONE of the following care plans depending on the diabetes management and technology used:
- School care plan INJECTIONS & DEXCOM G6
- School care plan INJECTIONS & LIBRE
- School care plan INJECTIONS
- School care plan MEDTRONIC 640G & GUARDIAN 3
- School care plan MEDTRONIC 670G SYSTEM
- School care plan PUMP & DEXCOM G6
- School care plan PUMP & LIBRE
- School care plan PUMP
- School care plan TSLIM & DEXCOM G6 - CONTROL IQ
- School care plan MEDTRONIC 780G SYSTEM with SMARTGUARD
Supporting Information
Here are the documents to support the care plan
Please download the relevant documents depending on what equipment and technology is used.
- CGM Appendix DEXCOM G6 2020
- CGM Appendix GUARDIAN 3 2020
- CGM Appendix LIBRE 2020
- INJECTING Appendix GLUGAGON
- INJECTING Appendix INSULIN
- PUMP Appendix ACCUCHEK COMBO
- PUMP Appendix ACCUCHEK INSIGHT
- PUMP Appendix MEDTRONIC 640G 2020
- PUMP Appendix OMNIPOD 2020
- PUMP Appendix TANDEM TSLIM 2020
- TESTING Appendix Accu-Chek Expert meter
- TESTING Appendix Contour Next Link meter
- TESTING Appendix Freestyle Optium Neo Ketone meter
Travel and days out
- Travelling with diabetes - fact sheet
- Customs letter – pumps (with and without CGM)
- Customs letter – injections (with and without CGM)
- Medtronic Pump Airport Security Letter
- Camp Simcha events
- Travelling with an Accu-Chek Insight Pump
- Travelling with an Accu-Chek Combo Pump
- Medtronic Travel Checklist
- Travelling with a Medtronic Pump
Websites for further information
- Travel Vaccination Clinic
- Travelling with Diabetes Advice
- Travel advice with an insulin pump from Medtronic
- Civil Aviation Authority Advice – including link to Medical Device Awareness Card
- CAA Medical Device Awareness Card - order here
- JDRF travel
- Diabetes Travel Calculator
- Managing diabetes at festivals
Some pumps need to be removed for certain theme park rides due to the magnetic harnesses used. We recommend contacting your pump company to find out if this applies to you.
We do not supply specific letters to request queue jumping at theme parks, but if you take your last clinic with you to confirm your diagnosis of type 1 diabetes, most theme parks will provide you with ‘fast-passes’ to enable you to avoid queuing.
Young adults
- Type 1 diabetes, driving and the DVLA
- Drinking alcohol safely with type 1 diabetes
- Digibete 16+
- Diabetes UK: Young adults
Also look at our information on Travelling with diabetes and University
Advice and links
Below are some links to useful shopping sites for diabetes products. These have been suggested to us by our parents and families. If you have any useful links you would like to share here please drop us an email at cdlime@uclh.nhs.uk or cdorange@uclh.nhs.uk.
- Pump pouches
- Cool packs for insulin/pumps
- Medical alerts
- Aquapac waterproof insulin pump accessories
![]() Digibete Digibete is a video platform and social enterprise, designed to help children and their families with type 1 diabetes. It is a collection of short videos on all aspects of diabetes managements, created by young people, their families and their diabetes teams. Click the image on the left to download the full size. |
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