A new diabetes prevention programme will be pioneered in Medway.

There are almost 15,000 people in the Towns with the condition - but those are only the ones who have been diagnosed.

Now Medway has been chosen as one of seven areas in the country to be part of the National Diabetes Prevention Programme, which aims to identify people likely to get the disease and offer them help.

Medway Council and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) will work together to deliver the new £200,000 programme, which is funded by NHS England, and will recruit a specialist nurse who will audit GP records and contact people who are identified as high risk of type 2 diabetes.

Those contacted will be encouraged to join a free programme called Let’s Talk Weight.

There will be 12 weekly sessions, with follow up sessions at six, 12 and 18 months where trained staff with provide 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.

Cllr David Brake, head of adult services, said: “Medway, like other parts of the country, has an increasing number of people being diagnosed with diabetes and the latest figures we have show that 14,065 people here have been diagnosed with diabetes.

“The strain on the NHS to treat diabetes is enormous at an estimated cost of £10billion per year.

“Type 2 diabetes is largely preventable and our new programme should ensure that not only do we reach those people at risk and get them the help they need to prevent diabetes happening, but also reduce the burden on the NHS in the long run.”

There are an estimated 3.2 million people in England who have diabetes and a further four to five million people are at a high risk of Type 2 diabetes.

By 2030, it is estimated that more than four million people will have the disease.

Dr Jim O’Brien, national programme director, said: “The launch of Medway’s Diabetes Prevention Programme is good news for the local community in helping to tackle this serious condition.

“Along with our six other demonstrator sites across England, Medway’s local initiative will be hugely valuable in providing us with evidence on what works to prevent type 2 diabetes.

“This will help us design and roll out the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme.”

For more information, visit medwaydiabetes.co.uk.