Sussex initiative improves long-term health support for women following gestational diabetes
This World Diabetes Day (Saturday 14 November), a locally developed initiative is showing how proactive support can help women across Sussex who have experienced gestational diabetes get the monitoring and support they need to protect their future health.
The project was delivered through a Women’s Health Hub in West Sussex and a Primary Care Network in East Sussex, with teams proactively identifying and contacting women with a history of gestational diabetes.
Women were offered:
- HbA1c blood tests (average blood sugar level tests)
- blood pressure and
- BMI checks, alongside healthy living advice, NHS Health Checks where appropriate, and referrals to the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme.
Teams used text messages, telephone calls and written communications to reach women, with telephone and face-to-face appointments available. Some appointments were also offered during evenings and weekends to make it easier for women with work, family or caring commitments to attend.
The initiative achieved strong results across both areas.
At the end of the project, 100% of participating women had HbA1c, BMI and blood pressure recorded. This improves the opportunity to identify and manage potential health risks earlier.
The project also achieved an overall 66% referral rate to the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme among eligible women.
NICE (2020) advises that referral into the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme should be offered to all women with a history of gestational diabetes. However, the first national gestational diabetes audit suggests that only 4.5% of those eligible have participated in the programme.
Feedback also showed that women who participated valued having the opportunity to discuss their future health and appreciated the planned follow-up of their results.
The teams also recognised the importance of avoiding stigma around weight, diet and lifestyle, making respectful, compassionate and person-centred conversations a core part of the approach.
Dr Suneeta Kochhar, Clinical Lead for Cardiovascular Prevention and local GP supporting the initiative, highlights:
"Gestational diabetes develops during pregnancy and can have implications for a woman’s health after pregnancy. Women who have experienced the condition have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life, with studies suggesting the lifetime risk could be as high as 60%. Type 2 diabetes is also linked to other health problems, including heart disease and high blood pressure.
Regular monitoring can therefore provide an important opportunity to identify problems earlier and help women take steps to reduce their future risk."
The work demonstrates what can be achieved when primary care teams identify opportunities for prevention and make it easier for people to access support in ways that work for them.
Following the positive results, the approach has now been replicated at a further Women’s Health Hub in Sussex, extending the benefits of proactive, preventative care to more women locally.