Can I get a place on an NHS type 2 diabetes prevention course?
If you have a high risk of type 2 diabetes you may be eligible for a place on an NHS type 2 diabetes prevention course.
People who are considered at high risk of type 2 diabetes are those with prediabetes (HbA1c levels 42–47 mmol/mol) or women who have had gestational diabetes – high blood sugar levels during pregnancy.
If there isn't a course available in your part of the UK your GP should signpost you to advice on preventing type 2 diabetes instead. If you need help to lose weight, ask your GP if there are any weight loss services available. They may also be able to signpost you to an exercise programme.
How do I get a place on a course?
Although GPs may automatically refer you to an NHS type 2 prevention course, it is usually up to you to ask for a referral.
If you’re in England and have or had gestational diabetes, you can apply for the course yourself (self-refer) rather than having to go through your GP if you prefer. Find out about NHS type 2 prevention courses near you.
If you’d like to go on a type 2 prevention course and you’re not sure if you’re eligible, do ask your GP surgery.
What happens on an NHS type 2 prevention course?
You learn what will help you keep your average blood sugar levels, known as HbA1c, below the diabetic range (48mmol/mol or above), which will help keep you healthy.
Topics cover all the things that can play a part in helping you reduce your blood sugar levels. This includes tips on making different food choices, weight management, exercise, managing stress and getting enough sleep.
Courses may be face-to-face, online, or over the phone and may be group-based or individual. You may attend regular sessions or just one or two. You may have a choice but it usually just depends what is on offer.
In some courses, you’ll get individual advice and support on making long-term health changes to give you the best chance of preventing type 2 diabetes.
At some point after the course, you should be referred back to your GP for another HbA1c blood test to check your latest blood sugar levels – to review if there is any change. If you aren’t referred back, do make a follow-up appointment with your GP.
How good are courses at helping prevent type 2 diabetes?
NHS type 2 prevention courses have been shown to help people delay or prevent type 2 diabetes and in some cases reverse prediabetes. NHS England figures between 2023-2025 show:
- People who completed the type 2 prevention course Healthier You had an average weight loss of 3.3 kg (just over half a stone) and their blood sugar levels (HbA1c) reduced by around 2.04 mmol/mol.
- Even those who attended only one session of the course saw benefits: an average weight loss of 2.3 kg and an HbA1c reduction of 1.26 mol/mol.
- People with prediabetes were 20% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who did not receive support.
Christine, 29, said:
"The course helped me see that when I'm stressed or not sleeping well it's much harder for me to focus on eating healthily."
England
Sometimes known as the National Diabetes Prevention Programme (NDPP), the NHS course in England is called the Healthier You course. It is available for people with prediabetes or women who have a history of gestational diabetes. It’s for people aged 18 to 80.
- If you have had gestational diabetes you can self-refer to an online group course run over nine months, where you’ll be grouped with other women who have had gestational diabetes. You can also book a place on a course if you currently have gestational diabetes, to do after you give birth.
If you have prediabetes ask your GP if you can be referred. You can usually choose between a 9-month face-to-face group course (16-hour course run over different sessions) or a 9-month digital course for individuals delivering 15-minute sessions to your mobile 9-month digital course.
If English isn’t your first language, group sessions may be offered in other languages depending on current level of demand. And some courses are designed to support people with visual impairments and/or hearing impairment.
See more information on their FAQs about the course. You can also find out more by booking an online patient information session.
Northern Ireland
If you have prediabetes, ask your GP what type 2 prevention support is available to you.
Each Health and Social Care Trust in Northern Ireland runs a Diabetes Prevention programme. However, they currently operate under different funding arrangements, so it's best to speak to your GP for a referral to a course in your area.
As course availability is limited, waiting lists may sometimes be significant. If that's the case, ask your GP to signpost to you to other type 2 prevention support.
If you’ve had gestational diabetes, ask your GP, midwife or health visitor about what support is available to help you prevent type 2 diabetes. Currently, type 2 prevention courses aren’t available to women who have had gestational diabetes in Northern Ireland.
We have lots of useful tips on our Preventing type 2 diabetes after gestational diabetes page.
Scotland
People with prediabetes, women who have had gestational diabetes, and anyone else who would like to, can do a free online course about preventing type 2 diabetes. Recommended by NHS Scotland, it is called T2D Prevention e-Learning.
All health boards in Scotland offer access to type 2 prevention courses. Speak to your GP or healthcare professional about what courses are available and if you can be referred.
Unlike England and Wales, the content of each course will vary – although a new national digital type 2 prevention course is on the way.
Wales
If your GP diagnoses you with prediabetes you should be automatically referred to the All Wales Prevention programme if it is available in your area.
This is a half an hour chat on a video or phone call with a healthcare professional on how to reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes and referrals to additional support if needed. You have a follow-up appointment a year later.
If you have had gestational diabetes you are eligible for the All Wales Prevention programme course if it’s available in your area. But you don’t get an automatic referral. You’ll need to ask your GP for a referral.
The All Wales Prevention Programme covers around 80% of Wales. If it isn’t available in your area, do ask your GP for type 2 diabetes prevention advice and referrals to any other support services.
How we can help you
If you need help or support to help you make or maintain health changes or have any questions, we're here for you.
Call our helpline on 0345 123 2399 to speak to one of our trained advisors, or email us helpline@diabetes.org.uk. We are also here for partners, friends and family.
If you’d like to speak in a language other than English, you can provide your name, phone number and preferred language, and we’ll arrange for an interpreter to call you back within a few minutes.
As well as being a listening ear, the kinds of things we can talk through with you are what a healthy diet is, how to make changes to your current diet and how to move more. We can also talk about weight and weight management.
You'll also get a warm welcome on our support forum where people will be happy to share their experiences or answer questions.
Read Dino's experience of the type 2 prevention course
"The person running the session was so good, I didn't miss a session. And I reached my target weight loss and reversed my prediabetes."
