Bluezone is reinventing life insurance for people living with diabetes. They offer dedicated life insurance for people living with type 2 diabetes in the UK.

Their solution offers individuals with Type 2 diabetes life insurance cover via a simple digital journey that takes around 10 minutes to get a quote. This delivers a 10-fold improvement on the current solution by removing lengthy form filling and required medical appointments previously needed to secure a similar policy.

When using the Diabetes.co.uk life insurance engine, people with type 2 diabetes who are eligible for the service will be automatically redirected.

The review, entitled ‘Adapting diabetes medication for low carbohydrate management of type 2 diabetes: a practical guide’, details the benefits of a low carb diet, which include improved blood glucose control, weight loss and reductions in drug costs due to medication cessation.

Drs Murdoch and Unwin, who co-authored the paper with Mark Cucuzzella from West Virginia University School of Medicine in the US, and Mahendra Patel, from the University of Sheffield, UK, wrote: “The LCD [low carb diet] is an increasingly popular option for managing T2D that can lead to improvements in the condition, reduced medication burde, and (where needed) weight loss. Primary care clinicians need to be competent in adjusting diabetes medications to achieve safe and effective care.”

The guidance has been produced in response to patients making significant health improvements as a result of following the Low Carb Program, an award-winning digital health programme that has been clinically demonstrated to improve glycemic control and reduce hypoglycemic medications in people with type 2 diabetes. Over 415,000 people have enrolled to date since November 2015.

Peer-reviewed, published health outcomes demonstrate patients with type 2 diabetes who complete the programme sustainably lose an average of 7.4kg at one-year and reduce HbA1c by 1.2%. Four in 10 people eliminate at least one medication and one in four people are classified as being in type 2 diabetes remission

Ms Summers is a behaviour change expert, co-founder of DDM and published author who has presented at conferences all over the world, where she speaks about the future of diabetes, healthcare education and behaviour change. Among the digital education programmes Ms Summers has spearheaded at DDM include the NHS-approved Low Carb Program app, Hypo Program and Type 2 Testing Program. She is also a business mentor for a number of start-up organisations.

Ms Summers said of the award: “I am delighted to have been awarded this prestigious Future Stars Award for Digital Leader, particularly since I was up against seven other talented nominees. I’d like to thank my fellow colleagues at DDM who have supported, encouraged and inspired me along the way to pursue my passions in creating and delivering digital education programmes which result in behavioural change, proven health outcomes and cost savings.”

Future Stars of Tech strives to inspire, celebrate and empower the next generation of UK technology leadership “by boosting the visibility of female talent in first eight years of their career”.

The awards ceremony, which will be hosted on 18 October in Guildford, Surrey, celebrates “good practice in patient care” and aims to “support improved patience experience and outcomes”.

The nomination follows a significant period of success for the Low Carb Program, which in June was awarded a CE Mark, received QISMET approval and won Best Platform / Technology / Tool for Content at the UK Content Awards 2018.

The Low Carb Program is home to more than 356,000 people, and has helped thousands with type 2 diabetes to lose weight and normalise their blood sugar levels. In just two over two years, the program has demonstrated a cost saving to the NHS of £835 per person, per year in prescription costs.

The UK Business Awards celebrates business excellence and innovatio, with its Innovation category acknowledging “companies who are adapting and changing to ensure a positive future [displaying] great results”.

Arjun Panesar, co-founder and CEO of Diabetes.co.uk, said of the nomination: “It is wonderful that the Low Carb Program is being acknowledged for helping to empower people to optimise their metabolic health. The nomination is further testament to the incredible work by our Low Carb Program staff and to the success stories we have seen so far on the program.”

The Low Carb Program is a 10-week evidence-based structural behaviour intervention that has helped completers achieve an average HbA1c reduction of 13 mmol/mol (1.2%), while 40% of people with type 2 diabetes eliminate a diabetes medication at the one-year mark.

The UK Business Awards will be presented on 7 December at Park Plaza Riverbank, London.

The Diabetes Professional Care conference is the UK’s only free CPD-accredited diabetes conference for healthcare professionals. DPC2018, which is taking place at Olympia between 14-15 November, hosted the first-ever Industry Awards, developed in conjunction with The Diabetes Times, to reward distinction shown by companies dedicated to improving diabetes care.

DDM Chief Executive Officer Arjun Panesar said of the award: “We are delighted that all of the DDM team has been recognised for innovating in digital health and technology. Over 1.2 million members use a digital solution provided by DDM. The impact of these solutions, including the Diabetes Forum and Low Carb Program is not only empowering of patients around the world, it is pioneering the academic evidence base and redefining diabetes management.”

Now in its sixth year, the Royal Bank of Scotland Great British Entrepreneur Awards celebrates the hard work and inspiring stories of entrepreneurs in the UK. The regional gala final of the NatWest awards took place on 13 November at a special ceremony in Birmingham.

The ‘Service Industries Entrepreneur of the Year’ award acknowledges Diabetes Digital Media’s award-winning Low Carb Program and Diabetes Forum, the largest online diabetes community in Europe.

The Low Carb Program’s one year health outcomes were published in the peer reviewed Journal of Medical Internet Research earlier this year.

Francesca James, co-founder of the NatWest Great British Entrepreneur Awards, said: “2018 has been a record year for the Great British Entrepreneur Awards in the number of entries we received. But the quality of applications has been above and beyond what we’ve seen in previous years. Just getting to the gala final as a finalist is a huge achievement given the competition on show, so to walk away with a trophy in your hand deserves huge congratulations.”

The Diabetes Forum, developed by Diabetes Digital Media, provides support to over 7.5% of the 3.8 million people currently living with diabetes in the UK. Available as a web and mobile app, the Diabetes Forum provides peer support – enabling people with diabetes to ask questions, share experiences and find support.

In 2017, the Forum was described as a “catalyst of innovation” following a study by Royal Holloway, University of London, and was shown to “empower members”. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh, also examined the social dynamics of Twitter, Facebook and Diabetes.co.uk and their value implications for people with diabetes, concluding that the Forum was the “most actively used social medium” for people with diabetes.

Arjun Panesar, CEO of Diabetes Digital Media, said: “The Diabetes.co.uk Forum is a space for people with diabetes and their friends and carers to find support, ask questions and share their experiences. This is a compassionate platform where everyone is tolerated, within reason, and we thank you very much for being part of the community. The Diabetes Forum has helped hundreds of thousands of people over the last 16 years. and we look forward to continuing to do so.”

The NIA is an NHS England initiative delivered in partnership with England’s 15 Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs), and hosted at UCLPartners. The NIA is recognised and the go-to place for the NHS to find nationally endorsed solutions for critical challenges and top priorities for NHS staff and patients.

The NIA is a key initiative for helping the NHS drive forward pioneering ideas which were highlighted in January’s NHS Long Term Plan.

Over 395,000 people have signed up the Low Carb Program since its launch in 2015. Earlier this year the Low Carb Program was approved into the NHS apps library.

Professor Stephen Powis Chair of the NHS Innovation Accelerator Programme Board National Medical Director, NHS England said: “Not only are we seeing the benefits for NHS patients and staff, the work of our Fellows is increasingly spreading across the globe, with 21 innovations now deployed internationally. This is a true testament to the essential work of the NIA and its Fellows, and the strength of its national partnership.”

The UKBA celebrates the best of business in Britain and sharing innovation and best practice. Judges praised DDM for its “truly inspirational story” in creating platforms to support people to prevent, reserve or manage type 2 diabetes, and DDM Chief Executive Officer Arjun Panesar was acknowledged for a delivering a “lesson in entrepreneurship and innovation”.

The award bookends a tremendously successful third quarter for DDM, the organisation behind Diabetes.co.uk and the Low Carb Program, which was victorious at the inaugural Diabetes Professional Care awards last month and named ‘Service Industries Entrepreneur of the Year’ at NatWest Great British Entrepreneur Awards.

Judge Craig Macdonald, who is Chief Digital & Technology Officer at Crown Commercial Service, commented: “A truly inspirational story and approach, changing how the medical industry views [type 2] diabetes and how clinical treatment is undertaken. It was a motivational, enlightening, awe-inspiring and emotional submission and presentation. The work and drive Arjun Panesar has done is a lesson in entrepreneurship and innovation. It was an honour to have judged them.”

Mr Panesar, who is Chief Executive Officer of DDM, appeared on BBC Business Live to coincide with the launch of Diabetes Awareness Month. Mr Panesar spoke about the Low Carb Program’s one-year health outcomes which were published earlier this year in the peer-reviewed Journal of Medical Internet Research.

Speaking live in the BBC studio, he said: “The Low Carb Program is a digital intervention that provides patients with personalised education, support and resources so they can achieve their health goals. There’s around four million people with diabetes in the UK and we’ve got 375,000 people with type 2 diabetes on the platform. Published evidence goes to demonstrate that one in four people place their type 2 diabetes into remission within the first year.

“We’re seeing a tremendous amount of people with a number of long-term health conditions coming to the platform and so the data we’re collecting is really helping to push the academic envelope and help everyone understand how nutrition or lifestyle medicine can affect metabolic health.”

The interview is available on the BBC iPlayer.for the next 29 days.

QiC Diabetes 2018 recognised initiatives that improve the quality of live for people with diabetes. A QIC award indicates that an initiative has improved patient experience as judged by the NHS, charities, patient organisations and industry. This year’s ceremony was hosted in Guildford, Surrey on Thursday 18 October.

The Low Carb Program had been nominated in the ‘Diabetes Education Programmes – Adults’ category. Being ‘Highly Commended’ by the QiC is the latest in a string of accolades and successes for the program. Since its inception in 2015 the Low Carb Program has won multiple content awards and earlier this year received a CE Mark and QISMET approval to be prescribed on the NHS.

Benedict Jephcote (pictured, left), Editor of Diabetes Digital Media, said at the event: “It has been a pleasure to see how successful the Low Carb Program has been for people following the program and it’s great to have been Highly Commended by the Quality in Care awards.”

The published outcomes showed the Low Carb Program, a digital health interventio, improves blood sugar control and weight loss, and reduces medication dependency among people with type 2 diabetes. The study was led by Laura R Saslow, PhD, from the University of Michiga, while Diabetes.co.uk’s Chief Operating Officer Charlotte Summers and Dr David Unwin, the 2016 NHS Innovator of the Year, were among the co-authors.

The Low Carb Program was launched in 2015 and more than 360,000 have signed up to learn how lowering carbohydrate intake and eating real food can improve health outcomes.

Of 743 participants who started the program with an HbA1c of 47.5 mmol/mol (6.5%) or above, 26.2% lowered their HbA1c while taking no glucose-lowering medication or just metformin. Among those taking at least one diabetes medication before the study, 40.4% reduced one of more of these drugs.

Ms Summers said of the review: “I am so proud to see the impact of the Low Carb Program published for the world to see and it is really exciting to share the one-year outcomes.”

The Low Carb Program has won multiple awards since its inception and earlier this year received a CE Mark and QISMET approval to be prescribed on the NHS.

The 30-minute module entitled “Type 2 Diabetes – a Low GI approach” is now available to all 55,000 GPs in England. The online course is aimed at GPs, practice nurses, diabetes specialist nurses and other healthcare professionals working in primary care who are interested in improving type 2 diabetes health outcomes.

The module discusses the role of carbohydrates and the glycemic index in our diet, and specifically its importance within type 2 diabetes. It was written by Southport-based GP and 2016 NHS Innovator of the Year Dr David Unwin, whose GP practice now spends £40,000 less on diabetes drugs per year since advocating low carb to patients.

Dr Dirk Pilat, medical director for e-learning at the RCGP, said of the module: “It reminds primary care health professionals about basic physiological concepts such as glycolysis, gluconeogenesis and lipolysis and their role in diabetes. Using real world examples, it discusses the importance of a low-GI diet for patients affected by diabetes and how to maximise the potential of lifestyle modification to create patient impact.”

The awards ceremony, which was hosted at the Montcalm Marble Arch Hotel in London, celebrates the delivery of “high quality, valuable content which attracts, informs and engages”.

Our Digital Communications Manager Amar Panesar (pictured, centre) was in attendance to receive the award. Mr Panesar said: “To collect this award on the behalf of the incredible team behind the Low Carb Program is a huge honour. Congratulations go to everyone involved. This program is helping to show that type 2 diabetes does not have to be a progressive, chronic disease and it is incredible to see the amazing results the program is enabling.”

The UK Content Awards judges acknowledged the diverse quality content that the Low Carb Program provides. Once the 10-week course concludes, users can continue learning with a wide range of lifestyle content, including recipe ideas, research reviews, low carb tips and a variety of feature articles.

In being awarded CE Mark approval, the Low Carb Program conforms to European Union laws as a registered medical device meeting all of the MHRA’s health and safety regulations.

Charlotte Summers, Chief Operating Officer of Diabetes.co.uk, said: “We are delighted to receive CE Mark approval. For over two years the Low Carb Program has been showing that type 2 diabetes does not have been be a chronic or progression disease; this approval provides additional quality assurance needed to scale out the Low Carb Program and support even more people with type 2 diabetes.”

Low Carb Program completers achieve an average HbA1c reduction of 13 mmol/mol (1.2%), and also lose 7% of their body weight. Additionally, the Low Carb Program has shown to be hugely cost-effective, saving the NHS £835 per person, per year in prescription costs.

QISMET is a leading accreditation body that supports self-management providers to improve the quality of education available for people living with long-term health conditions. Their approval means that healthcare teams can now officially prescribe the Low Carb Program to patients.

Charlotte Summers, Chief Operating Officer of Diabetes.co.uk, said: “The Low Carb Program has been empowering patients to place their type 2 diabetes into remission for over two years. Type 2 diabetes does not have to be a chronic or progressive disease. We are proud to receive QISMET certification which enables NHS healthcare providers to offer the program to their patients.”

The Low Carb Program is a 10-week, evidence-based structured behavioural change program that helps people to adopt a low carbohydrate dietary approach. More than 40% of people with type 2 diabetes who start the program on medication eliminate a medication from their regime at 1-year. The program has also shown to be hugely cost effective – in just over two years, it has demonstrated a cost saving to the NHS of £835 per person, per year in prescription costs.

Arjun Panesar presented the future of big data within digital health whilst Charlotte Summers shared the fantastic results of the Low Carb Program.

With costs rising in Oman as well as in the UK to treat diabetes and its complications, it was inspiring to meet so many organisations dedicated to bettering healthcare worldwide.

Community support is the future of healthcare. 7 out of 10 forum members report an improvement of their Diabetes in just 6 months – a fantastic result which proves the power of the community.

The Diabetes.co.uk family has grown beyond all expectations, and led to the development of the fantastic Low Carb Program and the Hypo Program, but has never lost sight of the community at its heart.

Together, we are improving health.