The Lifestyles Team in the Health Improvement Service of Bromley Healthcare, which is made up of just two people, was tasked with providing the Walking Away from Diabetes (WAFD) programme for 320 people identified with pre-diabetes in the London Borough of Bromley.
In order to promote the programme they launched an event which allowed the referral networks to be set up. There were 1,242 referrals received from April 2014 to October 2015 from 98 per cent of all GP practices in the area. Since then, 630 of those people have completed the programme and another 221 are booked onto further sessions until March 2016.
To support the DESMOND philosophy, the service has allowed a family member, carer or friend to come onto the programme with the person who is at risk of Type 2. Of those who have already completed the programme over 97 per cent would recommend it to their family and friends. The team have gone above and beyond to further demonstrate the impact clinical outcomes people, who completed the programme, are experiencing.
Bernie Stribling, director of the DESMOND Programme, said the five winning entries showed “excellence” and the awards in demonstrated a “wealth of good practice”.
More than 30 submissions were made to the second annual awards, which aimed to reward excellence and share learning across the DESMOND community.
Notes for editors:
- About Bromley Healthcare
Bromley Healthcare was established in 2011 as an employee-owned social enterprise that ‘spun-out’ of the NHS. The organisation runs community health services in Bromley, Bexley, Croydon and Lewisham, providing a wide range of services to people of all ages. Services range from health visiting to district nursing, school nurses to specialist nurses, therapy services for adults and children, urgent care centres, services to help prevent hospital admissions and also facilitate early hospital discharge.
A leading provider for community health services Bromley Healthcare is a community interest company formed of over 850 people delivering high-quality NHS services, to people of all ages in the local community. The key to its success has been the emphasis it places on maximising best practice from both the private sector and the NHS.
For more information visit www.bromleyhealthcare.org.uk
About Desmond
- Structured education programmes are a proven method to enable supported self-care in diabetes. DESMOND is the collaborative name for a family of group self-management education modules, toolkits and care pathways for people with, or at risk of, Type 2 diabetes.
- The DESMOND Programme offers training and quality assurance for healthcare professionals and Lay Educators to deliver any of the DESMOND modules and toolkits to people in their communities.