Background Managing diabetes mellitus alongside the onset and development of dementia poses many challenges for those living with these conditions as well as their families, carers and service providers.

Aim To describe nurses’ positive experiences when managing adults with diabetes and dementia, as well as the issues and challenges.

Method Qualitative, semi-structured focus group interviews were conducted with community and diabetes specialist nurses drawn from five health and social care trusts.

Findings Four themes were identified: whose responsibility is it?; community and diabetes specialist nurses – the pivot point; education to manage comorbidities; and interprofessional communication.

Conclusion Community and diabetes specialist nurses experience many challenges when supporting individuals living with diabetes and dementia. Sharing patient information among practitioners in different settings is critically important. IT could overcome the limitations of note-keeping ‘silos’, but further education is recommended to establish more effective communication and partnership working.