DAFNE

DAFNE was created in 2000. It is offered nationally with over 43,000 'DAFNE graduates'. It allows people to develop skills for insulin dose adjusting, based on their own body's requirements. This gives people with type 1 diabetes a systematic approach to their diabetes, allowing them to fit their diabetes around their life and enabling them to eat what and when they want. It follows a nationally recognised curriculum and educator training programme.

Programme inclusion criteria

Type 1 diabetes  Able to attend venue for group session  18 years or older

DAFNE courses run for 5 days - either 1 week or split over one day for 5 weeks.  Friends and family are welcome to attend, but only for one of the five days.

Jessica - Person with Type 1 from Brent:

"I would like to thank you both so much for the support, motivation and passion you two have shown throughout the DAFNE course in June.

I can honestly say DAFNE has changed who I am, changed my life for the good and I can honestly say for once in my life I have my diabetes under control.

I still stick to the DAFNE principles of only testing 4 times a day, I weigh my food when I can, I only use jelly babies as a hypo treatment, I have cut down my portion sizes and it feels great when I see my levels in range a lot of the time.

Before DAFNE my HbA1c was consistently 77, 3 months after DAFNE my HbA1c dropped dramatically to 56!! I’m due another blood test in a couple of weeks and confident I have maintained the 50’s or lower!

I visited Dr Steer who was overwhelmed how well I have done he has even granted me funding for a Dexcom G6 which I’ll be receiving in a week which I am so happy about because now nothing can stop me.

I wouldn’t and couldn’t of done this without you guys, a week out of commitments and work to listen to Julia and Salma who aren’t just there for a job, they are there to make a difference and do everything they can to improve lives of type 1’s. I would recommend the course to everyone diabetic out there."