Nearly 9,000 people in Kent and Medway have been offered help and support to avoid Type 2 diabetes in just 12 months.
Between March 2020 to March 2021, 8,927 people were identified as being at high risk of developing diabetes and referred to the National Diabetes Prevention Programme for support.
The figures have been announced as the UK enters Type 2 Diabetes Prevention Week, which runs from 10 to 16 May.
The annual awareness week is a joint initiative by Diabetes UK and Public Health England, which aims to raise awareness of the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and how to reduce it.
Health checks
Dr Rebecca Prince, Kent and Medway’s GP clinical lead for diabetes, said: “We are working hard to support patients to reduce their risk of developing diabetes.
“GP practices continue to carry out health checks and screening for diabetes and we are looking at ways to support them to identify those patients who may be at the greatest risk.
“Patients who have been found to have raised sugars on recent or past blood tests are being contacted and offered a referral to the National Diabetes Prevention Programme.
“This has been proven to help patients make informed, realistic and sustainable changes and reduce their risk of developing diabetes in the future.”
The National Diabetes Prevention Programme, which launched in 2015 as a collaborative programme between NHS England, Public Health England, and Diabetes UK, identifies those at high risk and refers them onto the programme to help them make lifestyle changes.
Preventable
Dr Victor Oguntolu, Kent and Medway’s clinical lead for diabetes, said: “We know that many cases of Type 2 diabetes are preventable.
“There is strong evidence that behavioural interventions can significantly reduce the risk of developing diabetes, through weight reduction, increasing physical activity and improving your diet.
“If you belong to a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) group, if you have a family history of diabetes, or you are overweight or obese, please contact you doctor for screening and you may be eligible for referral to this programme.”
Significantly increased
NHS Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group’s diabetes transformation and development manager, Ian Butcher, said: “Referrals onto the programme in Kent and Medway have significantly increased over the past year but we do not consider our work complete.
“We have aims that go into the next few years to increase the reach of the prevention programme and to help as many patients as possible to prevent the onset of Type 2 diabetes.”
For more information on diabetes in Kent and Medway visit the diabetes page on the CCG website.
