If you have recently been diagnosed with diabetes we will invite you to attend an appointment in our diabetes clinic. From here we will help you manage your diabetes and invite you to attend an education session called ‘First steps’. This is a 2 ½ hour session and covers important information that will help you manage your diabetes, including advice about diet, exercise, medication and what your blood results mean. Having this knowledge about your diabetes can really help you to manage it successfully, so we would encourage you to attend.

The ‘First Steps’ sessions are run on various days and times across Redditch and Bromsgrove, so that you can attend one that suits you. You can also take along a relative or friend. The CHD nurse will explain this in more detail at your appointment.

Following ‘First Steps’, you will be able to access further education about your diabetes, including a 6 week course (Xpert Diabetes), an online education programme (Map My Diabetes), or you may be happy to find out more about your diabetes by yourself.

You will, of course, have support and information from the practice throughout.

Have you heard about the free new online programme for Diabetes across Worcestershire, called Map My Diabetes?

You can access current information about diabetes, including advice about diet, exercise, medication and much more. You can also monitor your own diabetes health results with this interactive diabetes programme.

To register for an account we need only your name and email address – please call in at reception to complete a form and we will do the rest.

The World Health Organisation recommends that an HbA1c blood test level of 42−47 mmol/mol places you in the pre-diabetes range and indicates a high risk of diabetes in the future, with an HbA1c value of 48 mmol/mol or above being the blood level for diagnosing diabetes.

Between 1 and 3 out of every 4 people with pre-diabetes will develop diabetes within ten years. It is thought that having pre-diabetes also increases your risk of developing cardiovascular problems (problems with your circulation such as heart disease and stroke).

There is increasing evidence that if pre-diabetes is treated, the progression to diabetes can be prevented. Also, it may be possible to prevent cardiovascular disease from developing. So, it is important to know if you have pre-diabetes and to treat it in order to reduce your risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease

• Eating a healthy balanced diet.
• Losing weight if you are overweight
• Do some physical activity regularly.  (For more advice online please visit nhs.co/livewell and look at the Eatwell Plate.) 

There are also other lifestyle changes that you can make to reduce your cardiovascular disease risk. These include stopping smoking if you are a smoker, ensuring that you stick to the recommended alcohol intake. Also, make sure that your blood pressure stays within the normal range. Have your blood pressure checked regularly with your practice nurse. Also, discuss with your doctor or practice nurse to see if you need a cholesterol check and/or treatment to lower your cholesterol level.

It is also very important to have a regular blood test to recheck your blood glucose level in case you develop diabetes. The frequency of the blood test will vary, but a HbA1c blood test once a year is usually recommended.

We can now also offer you a place on the free NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme in Redditch and Bromsgrove.

The NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme in Redditch and Bromsgrove will help you take control of your health, supporting you to make changes to your diet, weight and the amount of exercise you do. Taking this kind of action now is very important as it can reduce your risk of, or even stop you, developing Type 2 diabetes.

Sessions are held at various locations throughout Redditch and Bromsgrove with times to suit you, including during the day, evenings and weekends. So you’re sure to find a group convenient for you.

You can join the Healthier You programme if you are:

• Aged 8 years and over
• Registered with a GP Practice within Worcestershire
• HbA1c between 42-47 mmol/mol (6.0-6.4%) or Fasting Plasma Glucose between 5.5-6.9 mmols/I within the last 12 months
• Not pregnant
• Able to take part in light/moderate physical activity

• Highly skilled health and wellbeing coaches trained to guide and encourage you
• Mixture of one-to-one and group sessions
• Access to a national programme that uses the latest research evidence
• Solve problems that get in the way of making healthy changes
• Learn how healthy eating and physical activity can help reduce your risk of Type 2 diabetes
• Free attendance 

…so we ask you to only join if you can commit to attend:

• One to one initial assessment, lasting one hour
• Ten weekly group sessions that include healthy lifestyle advice and physical activity(two hours each session)
• Four monthly group sessions that include strategies to help you maintain your lifestyle changes.
• Three one-to-one progress review sessions lasting an hour at three, six and nine months