Postgraduate Diploma in Diabetes-Cardiorenal-Metabolic Medicine
An integrated postgraduate qualification in DCRM for UK primary care. Six-month hybrid programme covering Type 2 Diabetes, ASCVD, Heart Failure, CKD with proteinuria, dyslipidaemia, hypertension and MASLD — anchored in NICE, ESC, ADA-EASD, KDIGO and DCRM 2.0 frameworks.
Status: in development. Q1 2027 launch target.
The Acumen PG Diploma in DCRM is currently in formal accreditation discussion with the Royal College of General Practitioners CPD Provider Scheme, a candidate UK university partner for co-badging, the NHSE Primary Care Training Hub, and the Federation of Royal Colleges of Physicians UK. UEMS-EACCME European recognition is being pursued in parallel. The sample syllabus below represents the curriculum architecture currently under negotiation. Final structure, accreditation status, and fees will be confirmed before applications open.
An integrated curriculum, not single-disease silos
UK postgraduate primary care education has traditionally separated diabetes, cardiology, and renal medicine into independent diplomas — a structure that the SGLT2-inhibitor, GLP-1 receptor agonist, finerenone and ApoB-targeting therapeutic revolutions have rendered increasingly artificial. The cardiometabolic-renal-metabolic continuum is now what UK primary care must manage, and the international DCRM 2.0 framework (Metabolism, 2024) is the most coherent attempt yet to integrate it.
The Acumen PG Diploma in DCRM is built around that continuum. The curriculum maps NICE NG28, NICE NG181, ESC 2023 cardiovascular prevention, ADA-EASD 2023 consensus, KDIGO 2024 CKD, and the DCRM 2.0 multispecialty practice recommendations onto a UK primary care delivery context — and is taught by faculty whose own clinical practice is in that same delivery context.
Designed for the extended-skills primary care clinician
UK GPs
Practising GP partners, salaried GPs, and GPs with extended roles (GPwER) seeking structured cardiometabolic competence. ST3 GP trainees considering a GPwER pathway are also welcome.
Pharmacist Independent Prescribers
Pharmacist IPs working in primary care with active prescribing scope in cardiometabolic medicines and an interest in extended-skills practice within their PCN or practice.
Nurse Practitioners
Advanced nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists in primary care with cardiometabolic, diabetes or cardiology caseloads.
Six modules across six months
Each module runs three to four weeks asynchronously, with one live tutorial mid-module. The cohort meets in person for an opening symposium and a closing case-based assessment.
Module 1 · Foundations of DCRM 2.0 in UK primary care
The DCRM framework and the cardiometabolic-renal continuum. Navigating NICE, ESC, ADA-EASD, KDIGO and DCRM 2.0 in concurrent practice. Designing a primary care DCRM clinic. Information governance for cohort-level service evaluation.
Module 2 · Type 2 Diabetes and Cardiometabolic Risk
Glycaemic management beyond HbA1c. SGLT2 inhibitors: clinical positioning, monitoring, prescribing at primary care interface. GLP-1 receptor agonists: clinical positioning, weight effect, cardiometabolic outcomes. Combination therapy and de-escalation. Real-world UK primary care prescribing patterns.
Module 3 · Cardiovascular Prevention and Lipid Optimisation
ASCVD risk assessment in primary care. ApoB and Lp(a) screening: when, how, what to do with results. Statin optimisation and beyond — bempedoic acid, PCSK9 inhibitors, oral agents. Anti-platelet therapy in primary and secondary prevention. Familial hypercholesterolaemia identification and onward referral.
Module 4 · Heart Failure and the Cardiorenal Continuum
HFrEF and HFpEF in primary care. Quadruple therapy: ARNI, beta-blockers, MRA, SGLT2i. CKD with proteinuria: identification, staging, management. Finerenone and the cardiorenal pathway. Coordinating with secondary care.
Module 5 · Hypertension and MASLD
Blood pressure phenotyping with 24-hour ABPM. Resistant hypertension. Lipid sub-fractionation in difficult cases. MASLD/MAFLD diagnostic and treatment pathway in UK primary care. Bariatric and pharmacological options where indicated.
Module 6 · Audit, Service Design, and Final Assessment
Designing a cohort-level audit in your own practice. Outcome reporting that survives peer review. Service-evaluation publication pathways. Final case-based assessment and portfolio submission.
Hybrid programme · six months · two cohorts per year
- 80% asynchronous online — modules delivered through a learning management system; structured reading, recorded lectures, discussion forum, weekly quizzes.
- 20% live — six 90-minute interactive webinars (one per module) and one in-person Saturday opening symposium.
- Cohort capacity — capped to enable case-discussion engagement.
- Cohort cadence — March and September (planned, subject to accreditation timing).
- Assessment — modular knowledge checks (30%); audit project from the delegate's own practice (40%); final case-based assessment (30%). Portfolio model.
In pursuit, named transparently
- Royal College of General Practitioners CPD Provider Scheme — application in preparation; target Q4 2026 submission.
- UK university co-badging partner — candidate university in formal discussion for PG Diploma co-badge.
- NHSE Primary Care Training Hub — endorsement conversation opening Q1 2027.
- Federation of Royal Colleges of Physicians UK — CPD endorsement opening Q1 2027.
- UEMS-EACCME — European CME recognition pursued in parallel.
Faculty
Programme led by Professor Rajesh Varma — Professor of Primary Care, NICE Guideline Committee member, Visiting Researcher at the University of Cambridge. Co-faculty includes Professor Tham Nimal-Raj (Co-Founder, Chancellor NVU UK Campus) and invited specialist clinicians per cohort.
Fees and applications
Indicative fee: to be confirmed once accreditation pathway is finalised (sector benchmark £1,200 - £2,500 per delegate for comparable hybrid PG Diploma programmes).
Applications: not yet open. Register interest below to receive accreditation confirmation, fee confirmation, and the application opening date.
Register interest
Be among the first to know when accreditation is confirmed and applications open. We will send you a single email when that happens. No marketing in the interim.
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