The Colne Valley Low Carb Programme is an initiative that was developed by a group of GPs at the Freshwell Health Centre. It has helped many people lose weight and improve their health and wellbeing through adopting a real food low carb lifestyle. Initial results show an average of 8% weight loss at 12 weeks follow-up, with some participants going on to achieve diabetes remission.
The programme equips people with the information, skills and support to help them adopt a low carb approach and achieve their health goals. This includes educational videos, resources and tools available on a bespoke website, participant journals, health coaching sessions, a Facebook community where members can share their stories and success as well as community-based patient-led support groups.
The results of the project speak for themselves. Within the first 18 months, 1,103kg of weight was lost by 339 patients, with an average weight loss of 3.3 kg. Some of the success stories include de-prescribing a number of patients on type 2 diabetes medication (including insulin) and blood pressure medications, helping several type 2 diabetes patients and pre-diabetes patients achieve remission and seeing overall reductions in HbA1c, blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
The Colne Valley Low Carb Programme case study showcases how important it is to foster closer relationships within PCNs as well as with residents and the wider community. It is a great example of how this kind of collaboration can truly benefit the population health management agenda. It also demonstrates the clear benefits of the new roles being introduced into PCNs and how these can support practices to work together and build social connections between patients and communities.
If you are registered with a GP practice that is part of the Colne Valley Primary Care Network and would like to find out more about this programme, please click the button below. This will take you away from this website and to the Colne Valley PCN website.
Colne Valley Low Carb Programme