A pioneering specialist diabetes service in Sligo, focused on young adults with aggressive early-onset Type 2 diabetes, has been shortlisted for a National Irish Healthcare Award, signalling a potential blueprint for future care across Ireland.
A specialist diabetes service in Sligo has been shortlisted for a National Irish Healthcare Award, marking wider recognition for a model of care designed around younger adults with Type 2 diabetes, a group clinicians say faces faster disease progression and a heavier long-term burden of complications.
The Early-Onset Type 2 Diabetes Service, led by consultant endocrinologist David Tansey, is a finalist in the Outpatient Care Initiative of the Year category. The awards ceremony will take place at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin in November, with the competition judging work delivered between January 2025 and June 2026. According to the awards organisers, the scheme is intended to spotlight projects that improve outcomes, efficiency and patient care.
Based at Sligo University Hospital and the Benbulbin Chronic Disease Management Hub, the clinic is understood to be the first consultant-led service in Ireland dedicated to early-onset Type 2 diabetes. It provides care for patients across Sligo, Leitrim, south Donegal and Cavan, with appointments split between the hospital and the community hub. RTÉ reported last year that the service was created to cut waiting times and bring treatment closer to patients, in line with the Sláintecare ambition of delivering more care outside hospital.
The rationale for the clinic is rooted in growing evidence that diabetes diagnosed before the age of 45 is not simply a younger version of the same condition. Clinicians say the disease can be more aggressive in this group, with earlier loss of pancreatic function and higher risks of heart attack, stroke, kidney disease, eye disease, nerve damage and premature death. An audit presented from Sligo University Hospital found that patients with early-onset Type 2 diabetes had poor blood sugar and cardiometabolic profiles, underlining the need for more intensive and specialist follow-up.
Tansey said the national recognition reflected the work of the multidisciplinary team across the hospital, the hub and primary care. He said the service had been built to respond to what he described as a high-risk group that has often been managed through standard diabetes pathways for too long. The team also hopes to use research to identify which patients are most likely to develop complications early, so treatment can be intensified sooner while lower-risk patients may eventually be supported through shared care with GPs.
The research element is central to that ambition. With support from the HSE Consultant Innovation Fund, the team is running the NAVIGATE-EO2D study, a prospective project examining the metabolic patterns seen in early-onset Type 2 diabetes. Dr Amber Shrestha, a GP trainee and sub-investigator on the study, said the aim is to match the right care to the right patient at the right time, while building a more sustainable model that combines consultant-led assessment, community services and general practice.
The service has now assessed more than 200 patients and continues to recruit eligible adults diagnosed before the age of 45, as well as referring clinicians. Its supporters say the Sligo model could offer a template for other parts of the country, combining flexible access, proactive cardiovascular risk reduction and embedded research in a way that is designed to scale across the HSE.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
