Steve Morgan Foundation funding to boost psychological support for young people with type 1 diabetes

By Editor
3rd June 2026
Charity, Children Type 1 diabetes

The Steve Morgan Foundation has donated £280,000 to Breakthrough T1D and DigiBete to expand their Coping with Diabetes online tool.

This new resource will significantly expand personalised mental health support for children and young people living with type 1 diabetes across the UK.

Research shows us that a young person living with type 1 diabetes has a higher chance of developing mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression and diabetes distress.

Coping with Diabetes is a digital psychology resource co‑created by Breakthrough T1D and DigiBete and housed within the existing NHS‑funded DigiBete app, with all resources clinically approved at Leeds Children’s Hospital Diabetes Team, part of Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust.

Designed specifically for children and young people with type 1 diabetes, the tool offers age‑appropriate films, animations and interactive activities to help users understand and manage the emotional impact of the condition.

It is available free through the NHS to everyone under‑25 living with type 1 diabetes across the UK.

Thanks to this latest investment, Coping with Diabetes will be expanded to include:

  • Personalised user journeys
  • Integrated emotional wellbeing screening
  • Faster, easier access to support
  • Data‑driven service improvement.

Hilary Nathan, Director of Policy & Community Engagement at Breakthrough T1D said: “Children and young people living with type 1 diabetes carry a substantial psychological burden.

“This investment will strengthen Coping with Diabetes, enabling young people and their families to recognise when they are struggling and access the right support sooner.

“By embedding personalised, evidence-based psychological support into routine diabetes care, we can help services respond more effectively and make everyday life more manageable for young people living with type 1 diabetes.”

Maddie Julian, Co-Founder of DigiBete said: “It’s with huge thanks to the Steve Morgan Foundation that we are able to support young people with the next phase of this vital work.

“Phase three is about giving young people the support they deserve, exactly when they need it.

“Personalised journeys, faster access to help and data that drives real improvement all working together to make living with diabetes a little easier.”

Liam Eaglestone, CEO of the Steve Morgan Foundation, said: “Mental health and diabetes are more connected than people often realise.

“This investment is about making sure the tools that help young people with type 1 diabetes are genuinely personal and genuinely useful, not just available.”

He concluded: “The Steve Morgan Foundation is proud to back Breakthrough T1D and DigiBete to make that happen.”

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