Guiding Islington residents to reduce risk of health conditions

Age UK Islington Social Prescribers host information sessions together with London Met Dietitian Students to help reduce the risk of diabetes.

Age UK Islington Social Prescribing Link Worker, Nathaniel pictured together with London Met dietitian students Paula and Emilie

Earlier this year, Age UK Islington social prescribers and navigation caseworkers worked together with dietitian students from London Met University and GP surgeries in South and Central 1 Primary Care Network on a project to help patients to manage their diabetes or to reduce their risk of developing diabetes.  This was the second year that Age UK Islington had run the project.

The Age UK Islington link workers and caseworkers invited patients with high cholesterol or pre-diabetes to attend an information session. This included information about the small, practical changes that they can make to their lifestyle, including diet and exercise. These changes could help reduce their risk of going on to develop diabetes. 

Prediabetes is a serious health condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough yet to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. Too much cholesterol can block your blood vessels. It makes you more likely to have heart problems or a stroke. 

Dr Lucy Bradbeer, Islington South PCN: Health Inequalities Lead, said "The diabetes programme run together with the Age UK Islington Social Prescribing Link Workers has been invaluable to reach out to patients who are less inclined to get in touch with their GPs and those who may not be engaging as well as possible with the management of diabetes, hypertension or high blood cholesterol levels.”

Having information sessions outside the GP practice in a more relaxed, less formal medical environment can be more inviting and help to make people more at ease and receptive to the guidance that's being shared. Putting this information and guidance into practice every day at home can make a significant difference to the outcome of the patient's condition." 

Conor Murray, Senior Lecturer in Dietetic Practice Based Education at London Metropolitan University said that “The student dietitians were able to see that sharing just a small amount of information with patients could be effective in helping patients to identify small changes to what they ate day to day and that this in turn could have a big impact on the management of their diabetes and their overall health. As well as seeing the added value that they were able to provide to patients, they were also encouraged to see first-hand how engaged and willing to learn and help themselves the patients were.”

About the information sessions

The dietitian students hosted information sessions at London Metropolitan University, providing a 30 min presentation and the opportunity to ask questions.

The presentations gave an insight into what’s happening within the body, when someone is either pre-diabetic or has high cholesterol. They provided details about the condition and the reasons to choose certain foods over others.

At the beginning of the information session, health assistants carried out Blood Pressure checks, weight measures. This assisted the GP practice to meet their QOF i.e. recording of follow up checks for patients with diabetes. 

There was a good turn-out for both sessions. Attendees left with an information pack which included recipe ideas, details of local programmes to help manage diabetes, their weight and groups to help keep active. 

This included Arsenal in the Community Men’s Shape Up programme which helps people to keep active and with weight loss. There were also suggestions for phone apps e.g. Active 10 and NHS Weight Loss plan and ways to keep active even if you have limited mobility, e.g. seated exercise classes.

Many people who attended the sessions said they would go away and take some positive action as a result of attending.

One attendee said, “The information session was very good. Whilst I was given some information before, I now know more about what to eat and what not to. I will try to put some of the information into practice and see how it goes for me.” 

Another attendee said, "I'm married, husband and 3 children. I cook for my family. How am I supposed to make changes to my diet. I can't afford to cook two different meals?  The dietitian information session made me realise that I could make little changes to some of the things that I could and this can make a massive difference to my diabetes."

Some of the feedback highlighted specific areas of knowledge that they had taken away from the session, such as an understanding of the different types of cholesterol and the foods that they are found in.

Another attendee was reassured by the fact that they could focus on “Realistic goals, that they believed that they could achieve, swapping certain foods for others”.

How health inequalities impact on type 2 diabetes

There are multiple factors that contribute to health inequalities with respect to type 2 diabetes – the increased risk of the disease and also the risk of it developing.

One of the contributing factors to health inequalities is financial deprivation.

As Conor Murray, London Met reports, “Once diagnosed, it is more difficult for people who are struggling financially to manage their type 2 diabetes as they don’t have access to the food that they need. Foods that are cheaper, tend to be higher in sugar and fat and when choosing food to feed a family, people will often prioritise a more energy dense meal compared with eating lots of fruit and vegetables. Being lonely, isolated and depressed can also make a difference as to whether or not people eat well.”

“The workshops delivered by the Age UK Islington Social Prescribers can help not just with the provision of information and guidance about the importance of making simple changes to their diets, but also help people to get the follow-up support.  This can include help to maximise their incomes and to find sources of good value healthy good. It can also help people to link into activities and things like lunch clubs.  This can help reduce social isolation, depression and renew people’s motivation to try to eat well.”

Who are Age UK Islington Social Prescribing Link Workers

Age UK Islington Social Prescribing Link Workers work in partnership with GP surgeries in South and Central 1 areas of Islington.

GPs refer patients to the SPLWs to help with anything that’s non-medical, that the patient is having difficulty with or wanting to find out about.  This could be to do with social opportunities, money issues, managing independently at home, support to help with the self-management of health conditions and much more.  This might be simple information and advice or it could be longer term help with things like getting documentation together, form-filling and help to contact relevant organisations.  It also involves encouragement and follow-up.

Michael O’Dwyer, Head of Services - Personalised Care & Support, says “Social prescribing is more than dealing with just the practical issues.  Groups of people experience health inequalities and social prescribers can help these groups of people gain a better understanding of their health conditions and what practical steps they can take to help themselves.  This might mean tailoring information and the way that it is delivered, so that it is relevant and meaningful, empowering people to take action.”

The Dietitian Students

Three of the dietitian students who took part in the 2023 project,  Paula, Krya and Emilie are passionate about food, the power of a healthy diet and its ability to change the quality of people’s lives. 

London Met Dietitian Students Emilie, Paula, Kyra

Paula

As a teenager I spent time looking online for recipes to make meals.  In doing so, I discovered a world of nutrition and how the food that you eat can have such a big impact on both our physical and mental health.  I used the knowledge to help family members and when I came to choose what I wanted to study, it seemed a natural choice.

Kyra

I’ve always had an interest in food – it is something which is such a big part of life.  Food is everywhere.  It’s also very much a social aspect of life.  My grandparents had diabetes and I did quite a lot of research to help them manage their condition.  I think it’s this which influenced me to do a dietetics degree.

Emilie

I always wanted to do something that would make a difference to people, and nutrition interventions can have such a powerful impact. I have 5 siblings and we all experienced our own nutritional challenges.  I also worked for Cancer Research UK for a year, where I learnt more about how improvements to the diet can help prevent a lot of cancer cases.  In studying dietetics I am keen to obtain the expertise to help people make a significant difference to the quality of their lives.

Next steps

The dietitian students shared their thoughts about "Overcoming barriers to healthier eating" and also some key messages to help make "Healthy eating easier".  They also shared follow-up programmes & information sources for Diabetes and Looking After Your Heart / Managing High Cholesterol.

For any more information about the Age UK Islington pilot study, please contact Michael O'Dwyer, Head of Services - Personalised Care & Support via the Age UK Islington helpline: 020 7281 6018.