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Type 2 Diabetes

Pre-diabetes

If you have pre-diabetes your blood glucose (also known as blood sugar) is too high, but not high enough for you to have Type 2 Diabetes. However, you are at a higher risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes. Up to half of people diagnosed with pre-diabetes will develop Type 2 Diabetes within 10 years.

The good news is that if you have pre-diabetes developing Type 2 Diabetes can be stopped in many cases by making small lifestyle changes.

In NHS Lanarkshire, we offer all those diagnosed with Pre-diabetes a choice of education options aimed at helping you reduce this risk. We provide this education via group sessions, which you can choose to attend in person, or via the internet. As an alternative, we also direct you to an online elearning module.

To access pre-diabetes support, you must first be referred to the NHS Weight Management Service (LWMS) by your GP or practice nurse. Following this referral, the team will contact you and sign you up to your preferred choice.

Find out more about pre-diabetes support on the LWMS pre-diabetes webpage.

First Steps group education session 

First Steps is offered to people newly diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes to improve knowledge and skills which will help you to self-manage this condition.

First Steps is a 2 hour group session, providing evidence based, structured education developed by an experienced team of Diabetes Dietitians.

These sessions are run in various venues across Lanarkshire and we can also offer a virtual group – by video link – as an alternative.

You will be one of a maximum of 10 people in the group and will have the opportunity to meet / talk with other people who have also been diagnosed with the same condition.

Topics that will be discussed include:

  • Introduction to Type 2 Diabetes
  • Management and control of Type 2 Diabetes
  • Potential complications and how to reduce your risk
  • Dietary information
  • Benefits of physical activity
  • Weight management information

We encourage you to take the opportunity to attend First Steps to learn more about your condition. We have also provided some information below which we hope you will find helpful.

Recommended information:

For staff caring for people living in a Nursing / Care Home:

It may not be suitable for people living in assisted care facilities to attend a First Steps group. Information on meals can be found in the link above, and you may also find the additional information below helpful. Please also refer to other sections of our website e.g. Diabetic Eye Screening, Blood Glucose Monitoring and Podiatry. NHS Lanarkshire’s Diabetes Service also works closely with our colleagues in the Care Home Liaison Team, and we offer annual training for registered and unregistered staff working in Care Homes.

Additional websites that provide further information regarding lifestyle management of Type 2 Diabetes:

Prevention, Early Detection and Early Intervention of Type 2 Diabetes: A Healthier Future

This framework was published by the Scottish Government in 2018 and is part of a wider plan to give people fair access to suitable and effective weight management services, which will enable more people in Scotland to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

This particular plan focuses on the prevention and early intervention of Type 2 Diabetes and ensures that there is provision of good quality care and equity of access to appropriate education across all areas and communities in Scotland.

What education programmes do we provide?

The programmes provided by the adult Diabetes Service in Lanarkshire – in conjunction with our partners in Health Improvement – include educational programmes for:

  • Pre-diabetes – Let’s Prevent and the online My DESMOND® programme
  • Gestational Diabetes
  • Newly diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes – First Steps
  • Weight management programme – Weigh to Go PREVENT
  • Diabetes remission – Counterweight PLUS®

Useful links

Near Me Lanarkshire
NHS Lanarkshire
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