Improving diabetes services in North West London

Across all our boroughs in North West London, the NHS is working to support patients with diabetes and promote healthier lifestyles to reduce risk factors associated with the condition. 

The latest figures from the National Diabetes Audit show that 19.8% of people with type 1 diabetes and 34.5% with type 2 diabetes in North West London met three treatment targets in regards to blood pressure levels, cholesterol and blood sugar. These results are above the national average and we have seen a continuous improvement year on year for patients with diabetes since 2016/17.

What are we doing to improve diabetes care?

Our NW London Diabetes Transformation Programme aims to improve patient health outcomes, reduce health inequalities and increase support for mental health. 

There is still much work to do, but we are working hard to improve the lives of people with diabetes through a number of initiatives, and we anticipate that we will continue to see further improvements over the years to come:

1) Know Diabetes website - Know Diabetes (www.knowdiabetes.org.uk) is the North West London Diabetes management platform for people living with diabetes or at risk of developing type 2 diabetes. It includes a wealth of resources that can be translated into over 99 different languages. It also includes a BAME specific section with cultural specific materials relating to diet and lifestyle. Clinicians have been informed about these valuable resources in order to support their patients during clinical encounters. 

The Know Diabetes service is working with over 350 GP practices in Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea, Westminster, Ealing, Hounslow, Brent, Hillingdon and Harrow to invite people with diabetes (all types) and those at risk of type 2 to sign up for the Know Diabetes service. If you would like to know when your practice is being invited then you can register with the Know Diabetes Service today and begin to receive our monthly newsletter, which includes inspiring stories and details of local events and advice about how to live well with diabetes in North West London. 

2) Psychological support for diabetes patients - Mental health screening for diabetes patients was established last year, and we have stepped up screening to a higher level this year in view of the COVID pandemic.

In addition, we have developed a number of resources for patients and clinicians. These include COVID-specific web pages on Know Diabetes with advice about mental health and wellbeing, training for clinical teams about the impact of COVID on mental health, and a “Diabetes 10-point training” resource developed with patients which provide ten easy points in self-management of diabetes.

3) The North West London REWIND (REducing Weight with INtensive Dietary support) programme supports patients to achieve significant weight reduction, with the ultimate aim of achieving remission from type 2 diabetes, as well as reducing medication requirements, improving wellbeing and reducing cardiovascular and COVID-related risks. There is currently capacity on this programme for 12,000 patients across North West London, with initial outcomes showing patients lose up to 12kgs in weight over 50 weeks. 

Find out more about the REWIND programme here. Partners, stakeholders and referrers can also help us reach more people by downloading our digital campaign materials and use these to promote the programme.

4) Increasing access to structured education services - There has been a substantial increase in people living with diabetes accessing structured education programmes to learn about their diabetes over the last five years, and we aim to support 40% of the diabetes population to attend a programme by 2021. These programmes help patients get the information and peer support they need.

We have scaled up structured education programmes with 8336 patients attending in 2019, compared to 5461 in 2017. In total, over 22,000 patients have completed a face to face structured education in North West London since 2017.

From May 2021, anyone with, or at risk of type 2 diabetes in North West London will be able to complete a programme through the Know Diabetes programmes page and eLearning section, when they create a Know Diabetes account.

To find out more about how we are improving diabetes care in North West London, please email us at nwlccc.diabetes@nhs.net