Diabetes Information. For patients and healthcare professionals

What is diabetes?

There are 2 main types of diabetes:

Type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes causes the level of glucose (sugar) in your blood to become too high. It happens when your body cannot produce a hormone called insulin, which controls blood glucose.

More information on type 1 diabetes can be found on the NHS Health A-Z website.

Type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is a common condition that causes the level of sugar (glucose) in the blood to become too high. It’s caused by problems with a chemical in the body (hormone) called insulin.

More information on type 2 diabetes can be found on the NHS Health A to Z website. 

Useful diabetes information

Diabetes UK – the leading charity for people living with diabetes in the UK.

Diabetes UK Helpline – a dedicated diabetes helpline for all people with diabetes, their family or friends, and people who are worried they might be at risk.

Diabetes and driving – You may need to tell DVLA if you have diabetes, depending on the treatment you are getting.