Diabetes can qualify for PIP if it significantly affects your daily life. Here’s how the PIP descriptors apply to diabetes and how to build a strong claim.
Read more: See our Pip guide for a complete overview of this topic.
PIP and Diabetes — The Basics
PIP is based on how your condition affects you, not your diagnosis. Two people with diabetes might score very differently depending on:
- Whether they have Type 1 or Type 2
- Whether they have complications (neuropathy, retinopathy, kidney disease)
- How well controlled their blood sugar is
- How much help they need from another person
- Whether they experience frequent hypos
Key PIP Activities for Diabetes
Activity 3: Managing Therapy or Monitoring a Health Condition
Diabetes management can take a lot of time, but that time does not score on its own: this activity scores for an aid to manage medication, or for another person supervising, prompting or helping you.
See the managing therapy descriptors for the points.
How this applies to diabetes:
- Insulin injections count as medication, not therapy. Needing someone to prompt, supervise or help you with injections, or to help you check your blood glucose and act on it, scores 1 point.
- “Therapy” means treatment at home prescribed or recommended by a health professional, other than taking medication. The hours count only for the time someone else spends supervising, prompting or helping you with it.
- Clinic appointments and time you manage alone do not count.
If hypos mean someone has to watch for warning signs and step in, describe exactly what they do, how often, and how long it takes.
Activity 1: Preparing Food
If diabetes affects your ability to cook safely:
- Hypos while cooking (risk of burns, leaving cooker on)
- Fatigue preventing standing at a cooker
- Neuropathy affecting grip and dexterity
| Descriptor | Points |
|---|---|
| Needs supervision to cook safely (due to hypo risk) | 4 |
| Cannot prepare and cook food at all | 8 |
Activity 2: Taking Nutrition
This activity is about eating and drinking itself: it scores if you need prompting to eat (for example during or after a hypo), supervision while eating, or help cutting up food. Carb counting and planning meals on your own do not score here.
Mobility Activity 2: Moving Around
Diabetic neuropathy can significantly affect mobility:
- Reduced sensation in feet making walking unsafe
- Foot ulcers preventing walking
- Pain from peripheral neuropathy
| Descriptor | Points |
|---|---|
| Can walk more than 200m reliably | 0 |
| Can walk 50-200m with difficulty | 4 |
| Can walk 20-50m (unaided) | 8 |
| Can walk 20-50m (using an aid or appliance) | 10 |
| Can walk 1-20m, or cannot stand or move at all | 12 |
Other Relevant Activities
| Activity | How Diabetes Might Affect It |
|---|---|
| Activity 4: Washing/bathing | Neuropathy makes it unsafe; foot care needs |
| Activity 5: Toilet needs | Kidney disease complications |
| Activity 8: Reading | Retinopathy affecting vision |
| Activity 10: Budgeting | Cognitive effects during hypos/hypers |
| Mobility Activity 1: Following journeys | Confusion during hypos making navigation unsafe |
Building Your Evidence
Medical Evidence to Gather
| Source | What to Request |
|---|---|
| Diabetes consultant | Letter confirming diagnosis, HbA1c levels, complications, management regime |
| GP | Letter covering all diabetes-related conditions, medications, clinic attendance |
| Diabetes nurse | Statement about your management routine and any difficulties |
| Podiatrist | If you have foot problems — report on neuropathy, ulcers |
| Ophthalmologist | If you have retinopathy — report on vision impact |
Your Own Records
- Blood glucose diary — 2-4 weeks of readings showing variability
- Hypo log — Record every hypo: when, where, severity, recovery time
- Time diary — Track minutes spent on diabetes management daily
- Impact diary — Note days when diabetes prevented normal activities
Tips for Your Assessment
- Record the help you get: a 2-week diary of who helps you with injections, glucose checks and hypos, and for how long
- Describe how hypos affect you afterwards: a hypo can leave you unable to cook, wash or go out safely for hours
- Mention night-time help: if someone has to respond to alarms or treat night-time hypos, say so
- Describe complications — Don’t just say “diabetes” — explain neuropathy, retinopathy, gastroparesis individually
- Explain bad days — Days when blood sugar is very unstable and you can’t function normally
- Bring your diabetes equipment — Insulin pens, blood glucose monitor, CGM reader (shows the assessor what’s involved)
Type 1 vs Type 2
There are no typical scores for either type: two people with the same type can score very differently. What matters is what help you need from another person, and what complications such as neuropathy, retinopathy or kidney disease stop you doing reliably.