Yorkshire at forefront of drive to cut the toll of Type 2 diabetes

A large proportion of Type 2 diabetes could be prevented, and trials in the United States, Japan, China and India have shown 30-60 per cent reductions in incidence over three years in adults at high risk through intensive lifestyle change programmes.

It is hoped that if the national programme replicated this success, it could save lives and millions of pounds for the NHS by significantly reducing the four million people otherwise expected to have Type 2 diabetes in England by 2025. Bradford is one of the areas featured in the campaign.

England will be the first country to implement such a programme at scale, initially targeting up to 10,000 people at a high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes followed by a national roll-out.

NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens will formally announce the move at the Diabetes UK conference in London.

“It’s time for the NHS to start practising what we preach,” he said.

“The NHS already spends an estimated £10 billion a year on potentially avoidable illnesses, and the human toll is more than 100 amputations a week and around 20,000 early deaths every year.

“Yet for over a decade we’ve known that obesity prevention cuts diabetes and saves lives.

“If these results were from a pill we’d doubtless be popping it, but instead this programme succeeds by supporting people to lose weight, exercise and eat better.”

The National NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme is a joint initiative between NHS England, Public Health England (PHE) and Diabetes UK.

PHE chief executive Duncan Selbie said: “This innovative programme is putting ‘evidence into action’ on the ground. Despite Type 2 diabetes being largely preventable, 2.5 million people in England already have the disease with another 9.6 million at high risk of developing it and this cannot be ignored.”

Type 2 diabetes usually develops after the age of 40 and is more common in people who are overweight.

Seven places around the country have been chosen to take part in the initial phase of the programme, involving drives on weight loss, physical activity, cooking and nutrition.

These are Birmingham South and Central clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), Bradford City CCG, Durham County Council, Herefordshire CCG/LA, Medway CCG/LA, Salford CCG/LA, Southwark and Lambeth Councils and Southwark CCG.

Barbara Young, chief executive of Diabetes UK, said: “This is a real step change in terms of highlighting the seriousness with which Type 2 diabetes is viewed and we feel this prevention programme is hugely significant.

“We hope this will also send a clear message that still more needs to be done going forward to help people lead healthy lifestyles from the beginning to the ends of their lives.”

British Medical Association (BMA) committee chair Dr Chaand Nagpaul said: “The National NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme does have the potential to tackle one of the most serious conditions that when identified late can have serious implications for an individual’s health, and which is costing the NHS considerably in time and expense. GP services are in the frontline of treating this condition and GPs will welcome any initiative which seeks to reduce its effects on the nation’s health.”