By Steve Marriott on October 16, 2017
Spirit Health’s EMPOWER to increase capacity and improve uptake of diabetes education for T2D patients across North Tyneside
North Tyneside Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has appointed Spirit Health as its new provider of structured diabetes education (SDE) programmes for newly diagnosed patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D).
With one of NHS England’s stated objectives in its Shared Planning Guidance for 2017-2019 being to increase referrals and attendance levels of diabetes education programmes, Spirit Health’s EMPOWER T2n programme represents an innovative, collaborative model of delivering SDE that is already proven to increase uptake and attendance levels.
Dr. John Matthews, Clinical Chair, North Tyneside CCG, comments: “Spirit Health’s EMPOWER is a fully managed programme that is already being delivered in other areas of the UK in accordance with NICE guidelines. It is certified with the Diabetes Self Management Education quality standard from the Quality Institute for Self Management Education & Training (QISMET). Average uptake rates are over 40% where EMPOWER is currently being delivered against the national recorded average of 7.6%
“The delivery model is very much aligned to our objectives of increasing both the capacity and the uptake of diabetes education, that will help patients across North Tyneside better understand their condition and feel happier and healthier to self-manage it in line with individual lifestyle choices.”
Spirit’s EMPOWER programme is provided as a fully managed service, ensuring the necessary time and resource to make diabetes education happen. Courses are delivered locally, closer to home, at convenient times across a variety of venues and locations for improved uptake.
EMPOWER T2n went live on 1st August 2017. In addition to face-to-face education, patients referred into the service will also be given the option to access Mapmydiabetes, an online diabetes management service designed to provide ongoing support anywhere, anytime.
Tim Loveridge, Managing Director – Clinical Services, Spirit Health, adds: “We are delighted to have been appointed by North Tyneside CCG to provide diabetes education across the region. Our aim is to make the nation happier and healthier; to give patients the confidence they need to better self-care; and to do so by working in close partnership with healthcare providers. We look forward to helping North Tyneside achieve their objective of increasing the numbers of patients going through diabetes education and delivering improved outcomes accordingly.”
