Sharing best practice is crucial to the future of diabetes care, top figures have said as they urged healthcare professionals to attend DPC2021 – the first major face-to-face diabetes conference in two years.

With the impact of COVID-19 having far-reaching consequences for those living with diabetes and those caring for them, senior figures in diabetes care say attending DPC and reconnecting with colleagues is more important than ever.

Professor Partha Kar OBE, National Specialty Advisor for Diabetes with NHS England, said: “I know how hard it has been for us all to deliver care to people with diabetes over the last 18 months. While teams are now focusing on the backlog created by the pandemic, I am also fully aware of the challenges we are currently all facing, but education is also vitally important. 

“As part of ‘re-booting’ diabetes care, and to address the impact COVID-19 has had on people with diabetes, DPC will provide delegates with the latest research, guidance and practical support as well as best practice to improve the care of people living with this condition – as well as take a moment to appreciate the hard work all have put in during these unprecedented times.

“This year more than ever, it’s crucially important that the diabetes healthcare community comes together to address the challenges facing us all, increase collaboration and learn from colleagues.

“As ever, Professor Jonathan Valabhji and I have kindly been asked by the DPC team to provide an update on the NHS England programme when we open DPC. We look forward to seeing you all there.”

The focus of this year’s event is ‘Rebooting Diabetes Care’ after the pandemic, reviewing the last two years and looking ahead to see how people living with diabetes and its related conditions can best be supported.

DPC Founder Maggie Meer said: “We have re-designed this year’s conference to make sure the content of the programme focuses on delivering sessions that healthcare professionals have missed out on over the last 18 months.

“We know from experience just how valuable these face-to-face conversations are, and the direct impact on care that attending DPC can have.

“We’re encouraging as much interaction between speakers and visitors as possible with multiple panel discussions and debates. There will also be practical workshops offering hands-on experience and product demonstrations.”

The event’s organisers have made the safety of delegates a top priority and have worked closely with healthcare professionals and followed government guidance to manage the risk of COVID-19. Delegates’ COVID-19 status will be verified on arrival, with proof of vaccine or a negative lateral flow or PCR test required. Along with a mask friendly policy, there will be enhanced cleaning carried out during the duration of the show and DPC’s partner venues will have state-of-the-art ventilation systems.

Following DPC2019, 95 per cent of delegates who responded to a survey said they would visit DPC again, while 96 per cent said that they met their learning objectives as a result of attending the 2019 conference.

View the programme in full here.

Register for the DPC2021 Conference here.