Recent years have seen an ever-growing armoury of pharmacological agents accompanied by a plethora of resultant guidelines and algorithms.  However, as healthcare professionals, it is essential that, while recognising and recommending best pharmacological care, we must never lose touch with the many varied and ongoing needs of the individual in front of us. As well as understanding how and why pharmacological interventions can help our patients, it is only by focusing on the psychological as well as physical needs of people with type 2 diabetes that we can truly help them to optimise their lives.

This conference will update you on the brave new world of pharmacological agents, but will do so firmly within the context of the wider (and sometimes forgotten?) issues surrounding the management of this multifactorial condition, so that we might continue to care for the person, not just the condition.