New diet and lifestyle plans to tackle type 2 diabetes

Thousands of people will now be able to access NHS soup and shake weight-loss plans as part of the NHS England drive to tackle type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes is estimated to cost the NHS £10 billion a year, while almost one in 20 prescriptions written by GPs is for diabetes treatment.

The diet and lifestyle plans have been shown to put type 2 diabetes into remission for people recently diagnosed with the condition, and will now be provided to 5,000 more patients in 10 areas as the first stage in an NHS drive to increase access to the life-changing programme.

The year-long plans will see those who could benefit provided with ‘total diet replacement products’, such as shakes and soups, for three months, alongside support to increase their exercise levels. Patients will also be offered managed plans for reintroducing ordinary, nutritious food, with ongoing support from clinicians and coaches after that.

Professor Jonathan Valabhji, NHS national clinical director for diabetes and obesity, said: “This is the latest example of how the NHS, through our Long Term Plan, is rapidly adopting the latest evidence-based treatments to help people stay well, maintain a healthy weight and avoid major diseases.

“There has never been a more important time to lose weight and put their type 2 diabetes into remission, so it’s good news for thousands of people across the country that practical, supportive measures like this are increasingly available on the NHS.”

Bridget Turner, director of Policy Campaigns and Improvement at Diabetes UK, said: “This is an important first step to ensure that people with type 2 diabetes, can access a remission programme within the NHS and benefit from the ground-breaking findings of the Diabetes UK funded DiRECT research.

“We know that some people with type 2 diabetes want and need support from health care professionals to lose weight effectively and now as these programmes are piloted across the NHS – they will. People with type 2 diabetes who have put their diabetes into remission frequently tell us how it has changed their lives. We are so pleased to see that others will now have the same opportunity and hope that it won’t be too long before more remission programmes are rolled out across the country.”

The sites rolling out the low-calorie diet programme are:

•     North East and Yorkshire: South Yorkshire & Bassetlaw ICS, and Humber Coast & Vale STP
•     North West: Greater Manchester Health & Social Care Partnership
•     South East: Frimley Health and Care STP
•     South West: Gloucestershire STP
•     Midlands (West and East): Derbyshire STP, and Birmingham and Solihull STP
•     East of England: Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes (BLMK) ICS
•     London: North East London, and North Central London