Re:Mission - An evaluation of the NHS Low Calorie Diet programme
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A coproduced mixed method evaluation of the NHS England Low-Calorie Diet implementation pilot: health care practitioner interviews and participant surveys, and longitudinal interviews.
IRAS ID
294667
Contact name
Louisa J Ells
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
leeds beckett university
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
78872 , Leeds Beckett LREC application number for other work programmes
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
Research Summary:
Evaluating the NHS Low Calorie Diet programme: NHS staff and patient experiences.
Obesity and type-2-diabetes are widespread diseases that seriously impact health, wellbeing, COVID-19 severity, and thus the NHS and wider economy. Studies have shown that for some people who live with type-2-diabetes who have, or are at risk of obesity, a low-calorie-diet, achieved through total diet replacement products and behaviour change support, can result in weight loss, diabetes remission and reduced heart disease risk. The NHS wants to test whether this approach, delivered through individual, group or digital support, works when offered as part of routine care across ten pilot areas in England.In this study we will work with NHS staff and patients involved in the programme, to answer the following questions:
- Does the low-calorie-diet programme work when delivered through the NHS;
- What do patients perceive to be the benefits and disadvantages of the programme;
- Are there any costs to patients, and if so, is this a barrier;
- Which method of support (1:1, group or digital) is preferable to patients;
- What do patients and NHS staff involved think about the programme.The work (to be completed by October 2023) will involve: talking to NHS staff involved in the pilot area coordination, and programme referrals about what has worked well, what has not, and why; asking all patients on the programme to complete a short survey to ask for their views about the programme, which will be linked to the programme audit data collected by NHS England; taking a detailed look at the lived experiences of a small sample of patients from diverse backgrounds, and asking them to take photographs or video diaries to document their journey.
These studies are part of a larger evaluation programme funded by the NIHR, that will inform the national rollout of the NHS Low Calorie Diet programme.
Summary of Results:
What questions did this study answer?
• Does the NHS Low Calorie Diet Programme help patients to lose weight and improve their diabetes?
• Was the programme delivered as the NHS intended?
• Who does the programme work and not work for, and why?
• What do patients and staff involved in the programme think about it?
• How much does the programme cost the NHS and were there any unintended patient costs?
• How can the programme be improved for the future?
What did we do?
• We asked staff involved, and looked at patient records to find out what worked and didn’t, for whom and why.
• All referred patients were invited to complete a short survey to ask for their views about the programme.
• We looked at the experiences of 67 patients from different backgrounds who took part in the programme. This involved talking to them and asking some of them to share photographs or video diaries that documented their journeys.
• We looked at how much the programme cost the NHS and any unintended patient costs, and whether it offers value for money.
• We spoke to different people to understand what could be improved.
We found that:
• There were some differences in the extent to which the programme was delivered as the NHS intended.
• Some groups of people were more likely to start and complete the programme than others.
• The programme did help people to lose weight and improve their diabetes, but people who have had diabetes for longer, or from Asian or Black ethnicities may not do as well on the programme.
• Generally, staff and patients spoke positively about the programme, but did highlight some areas that could be improved.
• The programme did provide value-for-money.
What happened next?
o Learning was used to improve the programme, which is now available across England.REC name
West Midlands - South Birmingham Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/WM/0136
Date of REC Opinion
5 Jul 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion