Hitachi Consulting in conjunction with Salford Royal Foundation NHS Trust and Salford CCG, has been awarded a pilot scheme by NHS England as part of Healthier You: NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme – digital stream.
The aim of the national pilot is to establish whether digital technology can help people at risk prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes through behavioural change.
Hitachi’s Smart Digital Diabetes Prevention solution helps people to make a sustained lifestyle change by achieving personalised lifestyle goals, preventing the onset of type 2 diabetes. Participants are provided with an online application accessible via a smartphone, tablet or a desktop computer – which supports self-assessment, lifestyle monitoring (diet and activity) and tracking of important factors like weight and BMI. The personalised lifestyle goals are established with an NHS Health Advisor who also provides regular advice and coaching throughout the programme, based on a model established by the NDH (Non-Diabetic Hyperglycaemia) Care Call team at Salford Royal Foundation NHS Trust.
According to Diabetes.co.uk, the cost of diabetes to the NHS is over £1.5m an hour or 10% of the NHS budget for England and Wales – but studies have also shown that the number of people with diabetes has nearly quadrupled since 1980 and prevalence is increasing in low- and middle-income groups.
Research from Public Health England has demonstrated that a 5% reduction in a person’s weight can significantly reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and other problems such as cardio-vascular and kidney conditions, as well as limb amputation in more serious cases.
