Uptake, attendance and outcome of referrals to the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme provided by Ingeus UK Ltd: An interim evaluation

Aim: An interim evaluation of referrals to the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme provided by Ingeus UK Ltd.

Methods: Provider collected data were used for this evaluation. Uptake was defined as the percentage of referred participants that completed the initial assessment. The programme consisted of four core sessions followed by nine maintenance sessions across nine months. Those that attended 1 or more or 3 or more core sessions were analysed. Weight change at each session and HbA1c change at 6 months and at the end of the programme was calculated.

Result: 21,223 participants were referred between 22/07/2016-21/08/2017; mean age 65 years, 48% male, 79% white ethnicity, and mean HbA1c 6.1%. Of these 40% attended the initial assessment. Of those assessed, 94% attended 1 or more core sessions; and 80% attended 3 or more core sessions.

A mean weight reduction was seen at all sessions up to a loss of 4.4 kg at the last session. Weight loss increased with attendance. On average HbA1c decreased 0.4% at both 6 months and by the end of the programme. Of those with non-diabetic hyperglycaemia at baseline, 77% had an HbA1c lower than 6.0% by the programme’s end.

Conclusion: This evaluation shows that those with non-diabetic hyperglycaemia attending a relatively low-resource, pragmatic diabetes prevention programme experienced reductions in weight and HbA1c.