South Gloucestershire diabetes prevention project launched

The Public Health and Wellbeing Division in South Gloucestershire Council is running a pilot project aimed at supporting people aged up to 75-years-old, at high risk of developing type-2 diabetes.

The South Gloucestershire Diabetes Prevention Project (SGDPP) involves delivering a structured education programme. It is a six-week course designed to increase participants’ knowledge, skills and confidence to make lifestyle changes that will reduce their risk of developing type-2 diabetes, and improve life expectancy. The group-based self-management education sessions will focus on weight, diet, physical activity, and mental wellbeing. It is the only course of its type currently offered in South Gloucestershire.

‘Educators’ have been trained by X-PERT Health. The sessions will be run by staff from Public Health, the Programme Lead for Physical Activity, Nutrition and Obesity, Exercise on Prescription leaders, a Walking for Health officer, and Diabetes Specialist Nurses. Two patient representatives have also been trained, and will provide peer support within groups.

The project has recruited 60 participants for the first cohort, with education sessions running from January to March 2016. More than 20 participants are on the waiting list for the second cohort, with education sessions planned for April to May 2016.

Funding and rationale

The SGDPP is supported by a £51,650 innovation fund budget from the Health Education South West Membership Council (HESW). The original application to the HESW for this project was supported by the Active Older People Health Integration Team (APPHLE HIT). The HESW is responsible for driving up the quality of education and training outcomes locally to improve patient care and experiences.

The prevalence rate of pre-diabetes in England increased from 11.6% to 35.3% from 2003 to 2011. Structured lifestyle change programmes have been proven to help prevent or delay type-2 diabetes by about 60% in people with pre-diabetes.

The SGDPP is in line with a South Gloucestershire Prevention Strategy that is currently being developed, with a key underlying principle that the approach to prevention should be tailored and targeted with self-care and self-management being a central theme.

The project takes place in the context of development of the NHS National Diabetes Prevention Programme (NDPP), which was announced in the NHS Five Year Forward View. The NDPP sets out the ambition to become the first country to implement at scale, a national evidence-based diabetes prevention programme modelled on proven UK and international models.

Key partners in this initiative are the South Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group, primary care, and voluntary sector agencies. An external evaluation will be led by the University of the West of England (UWE).