Wrexham Young Adults Diabetes Team wins national award for excellence in care

28.10.25

The Wrexham Young Adults Diabetes Team has been recognised with the Excellence in Care Award at this year’s Wales Care Awards, celebrating their innovative, person-centred approach to supporting young people living with diabetes.

Young adulthood brings unique challenges to diabetes management — from major life transitions and growing independence to issues around mental health and neurodivergence. These factors can make it harder to maintain good diabetes control and increase the risk of serious complications. Recognising this, the Wrexham Young Adults (YA) Diabetes Team has spent the past two decades developing a service that provides truly holistic, integrated care tailored to this vulnerable age group.

Established in 2005, the YA clinic was created with a simple but powerful motto — “Keep ’em coming.” The aim was to ensure young adults felt supported and engaged, breaking away from traditional models of care by offering joint consultations with a consultant diabetologist and diabetes specialist nurse (DSN). The clinic quickly grew into a trusted space where young adults could build long-term relationships with their care team.

In 2016, the service took a pioneering step by embedding a clinical psychologist directly into the consultation room, creating a fully integrated model that treats both physical and emotional health needs. This groundbreaking approach removed the stigma often associated with mental health support and helped the team to deliver more personalised, meaningful care.

Now recognised as the gold standard model for Wales, the Wrexham YA Diabetes Service runs specialist clinics for young adults transitioning to insulin pump therapy and is expanding to meet the needs of those living with type 2 diabetes. A strong focus on communication, trust, and continuity has resulted in high engagement levels and some of the lowest rates of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) admissions in the region.

Dr Steve Stanaway, Consultant Physician in Diabetes and Endocrinology, said:
“We’re absolutely thrilled to receive this recognition. Caring for young adults is both rewarding and challenging — their lives are changing so quickly, and diabetes can sometimes take a back seat. Our approach has always been to meet them where they are, listen to what matters to them, and work together as equals. This award is a reflection of the dedication of our whole team and the incredible young people we support.”

Dr Rose Stewart, Consultant Clinical Psychologist in Diabetes and Endocrinology, added:
“Integrating psychological care into every consultation has transformed what we’re able to achieve together. It allows us to address the real-life pressures and emotions that influence diabetes management. We’re proud that our service has helped to shape national standards and, most importantly, continues to make a difference to young people’s health and wellbeing.”

As the team looks ahead, they remain committed to evolving their service — exploring new ways to improve care for young adults living with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and continuing to champion person-centred, holistic healthcare across Wales.