Research developed in Leicester to transform diabetes care across England through new national NHS service
University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (UHL) has been awarded the contract to take over delivery of the NHS England Healthy Living service, securing a national offer of digital structured education and self-management support for people over 18 years of age, living with diabetes across England.
The five-year contract, due to commence in autumn 2026, will be powered by MyDESMOND, the digital platform developed by experts at the Leicester Diabetes Centre, a partnership between UHL and the University of Leicester. UHL will deliver the service in collaboration with Promatica Digital Ltd, a healthcare technology company that supports NHS organisations through digital solutions and system integration, including with primary care systems.
The award marks a significant milestone for MyDESMOND, whose roots lie in a pioneering UK-wide research study led by Leicester more than 20 years ago. That work led to the development of DESMOND (Diabetes Education and Self-Management for Ongoing and Newly Diagnosed), one of the world's most established structured diabetes education programmes.
Importantly, the new contract will see the NHS Healthy Living service expand to provide a structured education and self-management programme for adults living with type 1 diabetes for the first time. Alongside, a refreshed and enhanced offer for adults living with type 2 diabetes. This represents a major evolution for the NHS Healthy Living service and will help ensure more adults can access evidence-based support tailored to their individual needs.
Under the new NHS England contract, the existing MyDESMOND platform will be revised to meet NHS branding so will have the look and feel of other NHS apps, whilst being compliant to the highest accessibility standards. Any adult with diabetes in England will be able to sign themselves up to their respective programme, giving them access to:
A wealth of evidence-based tailored learning content
Chat forums to mix remotely with others
Health trackers to support users in monitoring their care processes
Physical activity challenges for individuals or groups
Each programme has been designed to help people build the knowledge, confidence and skills needed to manage their diabetes effectively, supporting improved health outcomes, greater confidence to self-manage and a better quality of life. By making evidence-based education available digitally across England, the service will help more people access support at a time, place and pace that works for them, reducing barriers to care and supporting more personalised diabetes management.
To bring the whole service to life, Promatica Digital Ltd will support UHL with technical delivery, including integration with primary care systems and digital services, helping to create a seamless experience for both patients and healthcare professionals.
The award reflects Leicester's longstanding contribution to diabetes research, education and innovation, and reinforces the role of the Leicester Diabetes Centre as a global leader in developing and delivering solutions that improve outcomes for people living with diabetes.
Alison Northern, Implementation Lead from UHL who will lead the service said, “This is an exciting example of how research and innovation developed in Leicester can transform care on a national scale.
“We are proud to have been awarded this contract, which enables us to bring 20 years of diabetes education expertise and our award-winning DESMOND self-management programmes to people living with diabetes across England. Delivering these through the trusted NHS Healthy Living service will help more people access the information, tools and support they need to manage their condition effectively. We encourage everyone living with type 1 or type 2 diabetes to sign up.”
Louis Miller, Director and Chief Clinical Officer at Promatica Digital, said: "The Leicester Diabetes Centre has built something genuinely world leading in MyDESMOND, and it is a privilege to be the technical partner helping to take it to a national NHS audience. Our expertise is in integrating digital services safely and securely with primary care systems, and this contract is exactly the kind of work Promatica exists to do: connecting proven clinical programmes with the NHS infrastructure that lets them reach everyone who needs them."
Prototype of NHS Healthy Living service that will be powered by MyDESMOND. Subject to further development and change.
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