Excellence in Patient Education and Support

Summary of work

Every year, approximately 6% of patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes actually get the diabetes education that they need, which leads to an increased burden on the NHS and seriously affects patient well-being.

Spirit Healthcare was determined to improve this and develop a service which would be more easily accessible. From research into the needs of people with diabetes, CCGs, diabetes specialist nurses, dieticians and GPs, Spirit identified the key reasons for such low participation rates.

Addressing these issues, Spirit developed its innovative EMPOWER programme, a new type of education course that’s designed to not only meet the NICE CG28 guidelines but, most importantly, drive up engagement. By removing the administrative burden involved for GPs and holding courses at times and in locations that are convenient to patients, two pilot programmes have already improved participation rates and improved health outcomes for attendees.

Across East Lancashire for example, the service is running at a 47% attendance rate of all invited potential participants, and attending an EMPOWER course increased a participant’s General Health score by 14% in six months, a statistically significant change. The case for Spirit Healthcare’s EMPOWER could hardly be more powerful.

Judges' comments

This was an impressive campaign that had a 99% feedback rating thanks to the positive changes it made to control and lifestyle. It clearly addressed a real need from a patient perspective, which led to an improvement in outcomes.