No - Kent and Medway is NOT participating in the Long Term Conditions Prevention Pilot.
Local Integration — Referral Pathways & Stakeholder Engagement
REFERRAL SYSTEMS: EMIS is the only GP clinical system used across Kent and Medway, supplemented by document database programs; referral forms uploaded to EMIS and Ardens, plus two online form databases (DXS and DORIS) used primarily in the west and north - the admin teams running these have been pivotal in making referral form completion fluid. GOVERNANCE: All implementation decisions are made with the ICB Diabetes Programme Manager and Project Manager and the Integrated Diabetes Delivery Network (IDDN) - including consultant diabetes leads, DSNs, community providers, charity partners and public health associates.
KEY STAKEHOLDERS: IDDN, primary care, community providers, Diabetes UK and other charities.
PROVIDER EXPECTATIONS: Proactive patient engagement (education sessions, Practice Learning Time (PLT), community events, online patient information sessions) to reduce burden on primary care; recorded T2DR referral-form completion sessions have helped traction; continually review eligibility/suitability with ICB leads; regular meetings between ICB and provider on capacity/issues; use the team's extensive primary care contacts to engage low-referring practices. BSOP: Referral pathway comes directly from GP practices where eligible patients have been prescribed tirzepatide.
PROGRAMME DELIVERY EXPECTATIONS: Support young parents (feeding/nappy changing facilities); accommodate working people (out-of-hours contact, weekend/evening sessions); support people with LD, mental health and physical disabilities; minimal wait between referral and course commencement; record risks/issues/mitigations and complaints; secure fast electronic transfer of patient info into primary care systems with read-coding; produce patient leaflets and signposting; participate in ICB engagement sessions. DATA: Local datasets (including practice-level) on referrals, initial assessments, starts, discharges and retention reported weekly (simplified) and monthly (full) so the ICB can manage areas/PCNs that diverge from plan.
Meeting Local Need — Health Inequalities & Underrepresented Populations
DEPRIVATION FOCUS: ICB monitors areas high in IMD using monthly diabetes programme reporting to plot focus and intervention.
MOST DEPRIVED AREAS: Sheerness (Swale), Margate Central (Thanet), Cliftonville West (Thanet), Newington (Thanet) - Swale and Thanet dominate, with only 10 of the top 45 most deprived areas outside Thanet/Swale. Thanet is in England's top 10% most deprived; Swale and Folkestone & Hythe are in the most deprived 30% nationally; Dover and Medway also fall within the 30% most deprived. East Kent and coastal Kent (Thanet, Swale) show higher rates of cardiometabolic conditions including diabetes. West Kent (Sevenoaks, Tonbridge & Malling, Tunbridge Wells) is relatively less deprived with smaller pockets. Medway shows notably lower life expectancy and poorer outcomes vs national averages.
KEY LANGUAGES: Polish (10,455 - 0.7%), Romanian (9,280 - 0.6%), Nepalese (8,763 - 0.5%), Panjabi (4,798 - 0.3%) - 2021 Census of 1,437,219 in K&M. ETHNICITY: ~11.4% identify as ethnic minority; 88.5% White British/other White heritage; diversity higher in urban areas/transport links - Medway, Dartford, Gravesham, Canterbury - vs rural/coastal Kent. Total BME population 119,984 (Kent 92,638, Medway 27,346). PARTNERSHIPS: Use IDDN data with community partners and charities (e.g. Diabetes UK) to enable pathways into populations not otherwise reached.