The DESMOND programme provides self-management education for patients living with type 2 diabetes and is available in all of the NCL boroughs.

Group-based education aims to support people with their diagnosis and work with them to self-manage their condition through a structured education programme to target lifestyle modification and behaviour change, including two hours of dietary assessment culturally-adapted to suit the local population.  

A digital version of the programme is available on the MyDESMOND platform for initial and ongoing education. Patients under secondary care diabetic services can be registered to this app, but only by their diabetes team. Patients are unable to sign themselves up to the app.  

Healthy Living for people with type 2 diabetes is an alternative free online structured education programme, designed to help users learn more about and live well with type 2 diabetes.

The DESMOND programme:

• consists of six hours of structured self-management group education, which can be delivered virtually or in person
• is delivered by trained educators and lay tutors
• is delivered in one-day or two half-day formats (or three two-hour sessions if delivering virtually)
• includes a newly diagnosed module for those within the first 12 months of diagnosis
• is delivered in groups of up to 10 participants 
• is supported by specially developed resources, appropriate to the mode of delivery.

Content includes:

• thoughts and feelings of the participants around type 2 diabetes
• understanding diabetes and glucose (what happens in the body)
• understanding the risk factors and complications associated with diabetes
• understanding more about monitoring and medication
• how to take control (food choices, physical activity)
• planning for the future.

Benefits of the programme are that it:

• lowers HbA1c
• supports weight reduction and improves levels of physical activity
• is an effective smoking cessation intervention
• improves understanding of type 2 diabetes and its complications
• reduces depression and promotes positive behaviour change.

Coding patient attendance

It is important that practices have processes in place to ensure the coding of patient structured education attendance. See Downloads for details of how attendance of DESMOND is communicated with practices and which codes should be used.

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusions

• registered with a Barnet GP
• diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 
• HbA1c > 48mmol/mol.

How to Refer

Locations

Edgware Community Hospital