BRADFORD is to help pioneer a new initiative to prevent people developing type two diabetes, which is already recognised as a serious problem in the city.

NHS England has announced that work done in the United States, Japan, China and India has had success rates of up to 60 per cent in reducing the numbers of people expected to be diagnosed with the condition.

Now similar measures are to be introduced in seven areas of the UK, including the area covered by Bradford City Clinical Commissioning Group.

Doctors know that type two diabetes is largely preventable and it is hoped the new campaign will reduce the four million people expected to develop the condition in the UK by 2025, saving lives as well as cutting the financial burden on the NHS.

Bradford's record on diabetes has already seen the city subjected to a major campaign, called Bradford Beating Diabetes started in late 2013, aimed both at preventing diabetes and ensuring those with the condition receive he correct care and treatment.

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All 27 GP practices in the city have been involved and since then 900 patients have been diagnosed but more than 10,000 people have received brief lifestyle intervention, with the objective of preventing the condition developing.

Dr Sohail Abbas GP, one of the clinicians leading the Bradford Beating Diabetes Campaign, and a member of NHS Bradford City Clinical Commissioning Group said: “We are really proud to be chosen as one of the seven innovative “demonstrator” sites and we are particularly pleased that here in Bradford we have already started our proactive work.

“The Bradford Beating Diabetes campaign is leading the way in the diagnosis and care of diabetes and we have come a long way in the past 12 months in our battle against the condition.

“We have been working hard to prevent as many City patients as we can from developing diabetes, as well as providing dedicated care and advice to those who have the condition and we are now seeing some excellent results.

"This is down to our hard-working local GPs and the proactive systems we have put in place such as the 9 Care Passport and the intensive lifestyle change groups.

“But there is still work to do and The Bradford Beating Diabetes campaign remains committed to continuing the good work to ensure that more patients in the city can be prevented from developing Type 2 diabetes.”

The first phase of the work announced today, including Bradford, will target 10,000 seen as being at high risk of contracting diabetes.

The scheme will then be rolled out nationally.

NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens will formally announce the move at the Diabetes UK conference in London.

"It's time for the NHS to start practising what we preach," he said.

"The NHS already spends an estimated £10 billion a year on potentially avoidable illnesses, and the human toll is more than 100 amputations a week and around 20,000 early deaths every year.

"Yet for over a decade we've known that obesity prevention cuts diabetes and saves lives.

"If these results were from a pill we'd doubtless be popping it, but instead this programme succeeds by supporting people to lose weight, exercise and eat better."

The National NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme is a joint initiative between NHS England, Public Health England (PHE) and Diabetes UK.