The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guideline for diabetes patient education offers little to inform National Health Services (NHS) Trusts in the curriculum design of self-management education programmes. The study aim was to conduct a patient-needs assessment of the educational curriculum content and support needs for Type 2 diabetes self-management. Different stages of the condition were chosen to identify whether needs remained constant or changed with time and experience. Six focus groups were convened for people who had recently received a new diagnosis or changed therapy. Twenty-three participants were recruited from primary care and the media in the UK. The educational curriculum support needs comprised: access to care and support, continuity of health care professional, lay support, high-quality care and support, and a positive cognitive appraisal of experiences. Needs were broadly similar irrespective of the new change situation. The current emphasis on lay support concurs with a proportion of the needs of our study participants. Motivational communications with patients need to be prioritized to enable patients to address therapeutic goals.