A surgery near Liverpool has helped a significant proportion of its NHS diabetic register to go drug free.

A decade ago, the team at Norwood NHS Surgery in Southport decided to make improving the lives of people with diabetes a key focus.

Today, more than 20 per cent of their diabetic register is in drug free type 2 diabetes remission, resulting in better outcomes for patients and an annual saving of £68,000 for the practice.

Dr David Unwin said: “It is absolutely astonishing to have an NHS practice where more than 20 per cent of people with type 2 diabetes are drug free and in remission.

“This is hugely interesting to other clinicians because arguably these are some of the best results of any diabetic clinic in the world.

“As a result, we’re seeing incredibly happy people at our clinics and our practice spends £68,000 per year less on drugs for diabetes than is normal for our area.”

Dr Unwin hopes to spread the news of how the surgery has achieved its success to other healthcare professionals at the Diabetes Professional Care conference in London this November.

During a session entitled ‘What predicts drug free remission and how best to maintain it in clinical practice?’ Dr Unwin will reveal how his surgery has been successful by helping patients to understand the physiology of diabetes instead of encouraging them to memorise diet sheets.

Dr Unwin will also explain how people living with type 2 diabetes are offered the possibility of drug free diabetes remission as a beacon of hope to motivate them to change their eating habits for the better. The desire to change their behaviour is then further strengthened through regular feedback about their progress.

He added: “We know there are more than 1 million people in England alone with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes and for every year someone has poorly controlled diabetes they lose 100 days of life.

“The good news is there is a window of opportunity for people when they are first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

“At our practice, 76% of people who chose to go low carb within the first year of being diagnosed achieve remission.

“If we can replicate that across the country, we’ll sort three quarters of the problem with very little cost and no drugs.”

The Diabetes Professional Care conference will run from November 16 to 17 at London, Olympia.

To register for free to attend the event, click here