Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has praised Medway for its pioneering diabetes prevention programme as the scheme is introduced nationwide.

The Towns were chosen as one of seven areas in the country to be part of the pilot, which aimed to identify people likely to get the disease and offer them help.

Speaking on today, World Health Day, Mr Hunt said: “It’s essential that we highlight the devastating effect that diabetes can have on health but also the fact that a great many cases can be prevented.

"I am determined to tackle type 2 diabetes – our recently launched Diabetes Prevention Programme will help around 10,000 at-risk people in its first year, and I want to congratulate the Medway Towns on leading the way by supporting local people to lead healthier lives.”

There are around 15,000 people in the Towns diagnosed with the condition.

As part of the programme, a specialist nurse was recruited to audit GP records and contact people who are identified as being at high risk of Type 2 diabetes.

They were then invited to 12 weekly sessions, with follow-up sessions at six, 12 and 18 months, where trained staff provided education and support to help people become more active, eat healthily, understand food labels, set achievable weight loss goals and receive support from other group members.

Medway Council and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group worked together to deliver the £200,000 programme, funded by NHS England.

For more information visit medwaydiabetes.co.uk