A new service is offering three months of coaching support for local people with Type 2 diabetes to help them improve their health and wellbeing.
If you have Type 2 diabetes, are 18-years-old or over and registered with a GP in the borough, you could get help.
The new programme is being provided by West London NHS Trust and will focus on Southall first. But referrals from other areas in the borough are also being welcomed. As a whole, it encourages lifestyle changes around healthy eating, physical activity, mental wellbeing – and also on cutting down smoking and alcohol.
There are three core elements: A 12-week personalised programme to support a healthy lifestyle; monthly cooking skills classes; and weekly walking groups.
In the coaching sessions, that can be held face-to-face or remotely, coaches work on increasing patients’ skills and confidence to self-manage their own condition and set achievable goals, and make informed decisions.
The cooking skills classes are held at the University of West London and are an opportunity for patients to learn about preparing healthy nutritious food and advice on how to manage their condition.
Meanwhile, the walking group is supported by Let’s Go Southall, a local initiative part-funded by Ealing Council and Sports England to help the town become more physically active. It will be working closely with clinical services to support patients to improve their overall health and wellbeing.
Giving people ‘knowledge and confidence’
Dr Amalia Tsiami, associate professor of food science and the academic lead for the scheme, said: “The aim is to give people the knowledge and confidence to take an active role in their own care with the help of peer support and activities such as cookery lessons.”
Supported self-management is key to the successful day-to-day management of diabetes, putting the person with diabetes at the centre of their care, working in partnership with their health care professional team.
Raminta Pinarello, West London NHS Trust’s healthier lifestyle service lead, said: “We’re thrilled to launch a new service supporting people with Type 2 diabetes, through tailored health coaching programmes. This means people have choice and control over what aspects of their lifestyle they would like to improve, based on what matters to them.”
Find out more
Find out more on the West London NHS Trust website.
Related reading: Type 1 diabetes support
A local peer support group was set up by local people to help fellow residents with Type 1 diabetes.
