Posted on: 28 July 2020
People who are at high risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes will be fast-tracked into the flagship Healthier You NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme, the NHS has announced.
Rapid access to the programme will be rolled out following research that revealed those living with diabetes face a significantly higher risk of dying with Covid-19 and one third of people who died in hospital from Covid-19 had diabetes.
The programme, which supports people to lose weight and adopt healthier habits, is the first national initiative of its kind in the world and has already helped hundreds of thousands of people.
NHS experts have said the evidence is now in - obesity can double your chance of dying from coronavirus. This pandemic is a call to adopt medically-proven changes in what we eat and how we exercise. That's why the NHS is going to accelerate its offer to help, including through wider uptake of our Diabetes Prevention Programme which helps people shift the pounds, avoid Type 2 diabetes, and slash the risk of severe coronavirus.
People can now use an online tool, hosted by Diabetes UK, to calculate their risk of developing the condition by answering a series of basic questions.
A national campaign to target Black and South Asian communities will also launch in August to target those groups who are more at risk of Type 2 diabetes at younger ages, and also more at risk of coronavirus.
Previously, people had to go to their GP or visit a healthcare professional and get a blood test before a referral, but the risk of coronavirus has meant that fewer people have had face to face GP appointments and fewer people are accessing blood tests.
Over half a million people have been referred into the programme, and those completing the programme who were overweight or obese lost on average 3.6kg, greater than originally predicted.
DR JAMES THOMAS, co-chair for West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership Improving Population Health Programme and Chair of NHS Bradford District and Craven Clinical Commissioning Group said:
“More than 200,000 people are at risk of diabetes in West Yorkshire and Harrogate. Our aspiration as a system is that 50% of these people are offered diabetes prevention support and we welcome the announcement that more people are being enabled to access the programme.
We have local teams in each of our six places who are already working hard to help people take control of their health and make the most of the support that is available. This simple tool will make it quicker and easier for people to find out their own risk and join the programme if that is right for them.”
Dr James Thomas