Prediabetes & NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme

[KernowKeith]

Sadly I have to express my disappointment at the NHS deal, at least on a local level, which is run by Weight Watchers, or WW as they now call themselves. Virtually all the emphasis in supplied literature is on weight loss (no surprise considering the Weight Watchers association…). Not everyone who is pre-diabetic (as I was told) is overweight – my BMI is 22, for example. The people running the local course are not healthcare professionals and never once mentioned diabetes in the meeting I attended. ALL the emphasis was on congratulating attendees for losing weight, or on selling you WW products. When it came down to a chat at the end of the evening, it was clear that I did not need to lose weight (I weigh under 10st) 'but take away these books' which are simply lists of food that already form part of our regular diet.

By way of contrast, a little over three years ago, I needed to have an angioplasty carried out – a single stent. The follow up course was held at the local health centre and run by healthcare professionals trained in coronary matters. Each session included discussions about coronary health, diet, exercise and lifestyle, with informed talks from people who clearly knew what they were talking about. No badges for being good, no 'buy our products' – just pure information.

The NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme needs to be run on similar lines – not have us all dumped in with the local Weight Watchers group.

 

[CliveUK]

Hi Keith, I am in a similar situation to yourself, a slim / fit (a runner) 62 year old pre-diabetic. I did 4 weeks on the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme local to me (Northants), it was run on behalf of the NHS by Ingeus Health.

The main aim seemed to be to motivate people with a 50 / 50 emphasis on weight/exercise and diet. It was OK, although for me personally I had already done a ton of online research, bought a glucose monitor and planned a diet before I had even got there so there was not much new info for me. What does seem clear from reading this thread is that the type and quality of the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme varies enormously depending on your location, there is no consistency, which I find very odd.