Foundations of Diabetes

This course helps develop skills in managing patients with diabetes mellitus. You'll learn the essentials in consultation, diagnosis, and patient management. Learn from experienced specialists and gain 20 credits at degree level.

A nurse holding a syringe wearing surgical gloves

LevelShort courses and CPD

Duration12 weeks

Start dates24 November 2026, 16 March 2027

Course codeCID1320

Course summary

This module covers key skills for working with people with diabetes. You’ll develop consultation skills and learn how diabetes is diagnosed. World Health Organisation (WHO) and NICE guidelines will be utilised. You’ll study the basic principles of managing diabetes. This includes medicines used in treatment. You’ll also learn about common complications of diabetes. These include eye, kidney, and nerve problems.

You'll have the option to study Foundations of Diabetes (Level 6) or Diabetes Care and Management (Level 7).

Why Sunderland for Short courses and CPD

What you'll study

The course covers:

The basics of caring for diabetic patients
How we use medicine to manage and treat diabetes
Complications such as retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy.

How you'll learn

We teach the course on campus over four full days across four months. You'll learn from:

Senior clinical specialists
Medical education leads in diabetes
Our top clinical University academics.

You're also expected to work with a clinical mentor. This will help develop your knowledge and skills further.

Assessment for the course is at Level 6. It will be a written assessment of 2500 words. This will be a diabetes case study based on your clinical practice.

Entry requirements

You must be a registered healthcare professional. We'd prefer you to be working in a clinical setting delivering diabetes services.

For level 6 study, you must have a previous level 5 qualification in a relevant field of study.

For level 7 study, you must have a previous level 6 degree in a relevant field of study.

Fees and finance support

Employers usually meets course costs. We advise that you speak to your workforce development lead before applying.

We also accept self-funded applicants. If you'd like to explore your options, contact us at cpd@sunderland.ac.uk(opens in new tab).

Apply now

Contact our team for further information about applying for this course. Call 0191 515 3361(opens in new tab) or email cpd@sunderland.ac.uk(opens in new tab).