NHS programme reduces Type 2 diabetes diagnoses by 7%

The NHS’s Diabetes Prevention Programme reduced new diagnoses of Type 2 diabetes in England by 7% between 2018 and 2019, latest figures have shown, meaning thousands of people were spared the potentially debilitating condition.

The research, funded by the National Institute for Health Research, suggested some 18,000 people had been saved from the consequences of diabetes by the programme in that period.

The nine-month Diabetes Prevention Programme (DPP) offers people advice on healthy eating and exercise that can prevent them developing the condition, so avoiding the need for medication and complications such as amputations.

The data adds to the growing weight of evidence that Type 2 diabetes can often be reversed through lifestyle change as much as medication.

For example, in January, NHS England suggested more than 2,000 people with Type 2 diabetes had seen an improvement in their health through taking part in an NHS ‘soups and shakes’ diet programme, which will also now be rolled out more widely.

It is estimated that the NHS spends around £10bn a year on treating and managing diabetes, around 10% of its entire budget, and so any reduction in case numbers can have a significant knock-on benefit.

Prevention is also a key element of the NHS Long Term Plan, which has set out plans for a major expansion of the DPP.

Someone completing the DPP reduced their chances of getting Type 2 diabetes by more than a third (37%), according to the University of Manchester research, which is due to be presented at the annual Diabetes UK Professional Conference this week, NHS England also said.

NHS national clinical director for diabetes and obesity Professor Jonathan Valabhji said: “The evidence is now clear – the NHS is preventing Type 2 diabetes and is helping thousands of people to lead healthier lives.

“Summer 2018 saw England become the first country to achieve universal coverage with such a programme. This latest evidence shows that the programme can have a major impact on peoples’ lives,” he added.

Type 2 diabetes can have a devastating impact, both on individuals and their families. It is a leading cause of preventable sight loss in people of working age and is a major contributor to kidney failure, heart attack, stroke and many of the common types of cancer.