Up to 100,000 people in England will be offered places on a nationwide programme to stop them developing Type 2 diabetes. Healthier You: the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme will start this year with a first wave of 27 areas covering 26 million people, half of the population, and making up to 20,000 places available.
This will roll out to the whole country by 2020 with an expected 100,000 referrals available each year after.
Those referred will get tailored, personalised help to reduce their risk of Type 2 diabetes including education on healthy eating and lifestyle, help to lose weight and bespoke physical exercise programmes, all of which together have been proven to reduce the risk of developing the disease.
Simon Stevens NHS England’s CEO said: “Around 500 people every day find out they’ve got Type 2 diabetes – a serious but often preventable health condition. By offering targeted support for at-risk individuals, the NHS is now playing its part in the wider campaign against obesity – which is already costing the country more than we spend on the police and fire service combined.
“The benefits for patients will show up as hospitalisations prevented, strokes avoided and amputations averted. This programme is a reminder that the ‘H’ in NHS stands for health.”
Seven demonstrator sites have been testing innovative approaches to programme delivery for the last year and this learning has shaped the final programme to get the best results for patients.
The programme launch coincides with PHE’s new national campaign, One You, which encourages people in midlife to take control of their health and make better lifestyle choices – helping them to prevent ill health and help them live well for longer.
