Empowering patients to take control of condition

It has led to her developing the X-pert programme which has a simple aim – to give people the knowledge, skills and confidence to manage the condition themselves. Its new headquarters has just opened in a former textile mill in Trudi's hometown of Hebden Bridge.

After gaining a degree in nutrition and diabetes at Leeds Metropolitan University, Trudi worked for several years for the Burnley Healthcare NHS Trust as a dietician specialising in diabetes. But her dreams of significantly improving the lives of people living with diabetes remained just that.

"It was like working on a conveyor belt; patients would see the consultant, then the dietician, the nurse and the podiatrist before going home with a leaflet. We were all ticking the education box but what I realised was that the information wasn't being given in a manner that they could take on board. They were coming back in three months' time and saying exactly the same things."

So Trudi set about developing the X-pert programme to help people manage their diabetes themselves. Those signing up take part in a six-week course, receiving practical help and advice on their lifestyles and diets, backed up with colourful handbooks, visual aids and games. Equally important is the chance it offers to share experiences and tips with others living with the same condition.

X-pert is what's known as a social enterprise, a not-for-profit organisation funded by the Department of Health. The X-pert HQ consists of tastefully renovated offices and conference rooms in Linden Mill. Here Trudi guides healthcare professionals from across the country through the programme and they in turn spread the word. So far more than 1,000 trained healthcare workers have helped an estimated 50,000 people.

There are three million people living with diabetes in the UK alone, about seven per cent of the population. And it is forecast to rise to more than four million, that's 9.5 per cent of the population over the next 15 years. It is seen as the biggest challenge facing the healthcare system today, as the complications include heart disease, kidney disease, failing eyesight and in some cases amputation of lower limbs.

Developing X-pert has been a long, hard, slog for Trudi. At 42 she has had to juggle her role with being a single mother to George, 11. But she says it has all been worthwhile. "I went into healthcare because I wanted to make a difference but it just didn't happen. Now I have found a way of significantly improving people's health and well-being and the feedback I get from both educators and patients makes me want to carry on."

Trudi has already won a number of health awards and been nominated for a Women of Achievement award.

CASE STUDIES

Margaret Roper, a retired policewoman from Wyke, knows that 30 years worth of shift work and snatched meals has taken its toll on her health. Now 50, she was warned three years ago that she was at risk of developing diabetes. "I felt awful, I felt that I had not looked after myself and I was very, very frightened. It was just before my 50th birthday and to be told that if I didn't do anything about it, then in 10 or maybe 20 years time I may lose my sight and the use of my legs, was one hell of a shock."

When offered a place on the X-pert course, Margaret "grabbed it with both hands".

"I have since got my act together, have lost five stones and am generally feeling healthier and much more positive. I thought X-pert was fantastic."

Talvinder Heer is 35 and as a general manager of a pub and restaurant in Bradford acknowledges his erratic shift patterns and mealtimes were not helping his condition.

"One thing I have learnt from X-pert is the importance of regular meals and portion control. It also helped massively to meet other people with diabetes and to bounce ideas and tips off each other."

In Talvinder's case, being Asian makes him six times more prone to developing type 2 diabetes than a white European. Research has put this down to diet – one chapatti has the same amount of carbohydrates as four slices of bread – and genetics. Both his parents are diabetic.