Posted on: 8 January 2025
The West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership is introducing Empower, a six-month pilot programme designed to provide enhanced psychological support to participants in the NHS Type 2 Diabetes Path to Remission Programme (T2DR). Running from 13 January to 30 June, Empower aims to help people overcome barriers to lifestyle changes and improve engagement with the T2DR programme.
The bespoke pilot, run in collaboration with Xyla, the current provider of T2DR in West Yorkshire, offers tailored, short-term psychological support based on cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) principles. Participants receive three weekly 30-minute sessions, designed to:
- assess difficulties affecting remission
- understand underlying causes of challenges
- develop tools to overcome them
Sessions are flexible, available seven days a week via phone or video. Additional support includes referrals to local mental health services and signposting to community resources like peer support groups.
Dr Waqas Tahir, West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) Diabetes Clinical Lead, says: “Living with diabetes can be incredibly challenging, especially when balancing day-to-day life alongside the condition. Many T2DR participants face psychological and practical barriers to managing their health, which can hinder their progress. Empower is designed to address these challenges, breaking down psychological barriers and equipping individuals with the tools, confidence, and support they need to better engage with the T2DR programme, take control of their diabetes, and improve their overall well-being."
Dr Rob Whittaker, Consultant Clinical Health Psychologist (Diabetes/Homelessness) and Co-lead for Adult Clinical Health Psychology, adds: “Empower aims to complement the T2DR programme using proven psychological approaches to maximise engagement in sustained health behaviour change.”
The pilot includes:
- one-to-one tailored sessions for individual psychological health needs
- flexible scheduling via telephone or video
- proven tools for behaviour change
The support focuses on key stages in the T2DR pathway, providing targeted psychological help to improve service user outcomes. This fully funded service is available to all West Yorkshire T2DR participants and we are encouraging GP practices to share information about Empower with eligible patients.
The NHS Type 2 Diabetes Pathway to Remission (T2DR) Programme (formerly the NHS Low Calorie Diet Programme) is an innovative and free service if you are living with overweight and type 2 diabetes. It works by offering 12 weeks of a low calorie diet followed by four weeks of gradual food reintroduction and eight months of weight maintenance, achieved through healthy eating, movement and online support.
See the Xyla Empower pages for more information about the pilot in West Yorkshire.