More than 900,000 adults at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes have used the NHS Healthier You programme since its launch in 2016, with a record 166,360 starting the initiative last year.
The latest figures from the programme were released by NHS England to coincide with Type 2 Diabetes Prevention Week 2025 (26 May to 1 June).
The Healthier You programme, which lasts for nine months, offers personalised support to those at risk, with advice on healthier eating, maintaining a healthy weight and keeping physically active given face-to-face or digitally.
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People can self-register onto the programme if they have been identified as being at risk of developing type 2 diabetes from their blood sugars – or request a direct referral from their GP.
According to research by Manchester University, completing the Healthier You programme reduces someone’s chance of developing type 2 diabetes by 37%, with participants typically achieving an average weight loss of 3.3kg.
Dr Clare Hambling, national clinical director for diabetes and obesity at NHS England, said: ‘Type 2 diabetes and obesity are both major public health challenges for this country, so it is great to see that this world-leading NHS initiative is preventing type 2 diabetes – and empowering hundreds of thousands of people across England to lead healthier lives.’
Around nine in 10 people with diabetes have type 2, and there are around two million people in England at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
The condition is largely preventable through lifestyle changes, and Diabetes UK hosts a specialist online ‘Know Your Risk’ tool for users to assess their personal risk of developing it.
The latest data shows the tool has been used nearly 3.3 million times.
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According to Douglas Twenefour, head of clinical at Diabetes UK, millions of people in the UK are living with prediabetes, which means they are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
‘Ensuring those at risk get the care and treatment they need is absolutely critical, as it will lower their chances of developing type 2 diabetes and its devastating complications,’ he said.
‘The NHS Healthier You diabetes prevention programme has a vitally important part to play in stemming the rise in type 2 diabetes and it’s encouraging to see more people accessing this life-changing support.’
NHS England typically spends around £10.7bn a year on identifying and treating diabetes.
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Ashley Dalton, minister for public health and prevention, said the success of the Healthier You programme was ‘great to see’ and insisted that prevention is better than treatment.
‘We know there is more to do, which is why we are continuing to restrict junk food advertising, limiting school children’s access to fast food, and ensuring that industry is incentivised to cut sugar in soft drinks,’ she added.
