Self-management of diabetes improved by X-PERT Health’s programmes, audit demonstrates

By Editor
12th January 2026
Audits, Education

X-PERT Health has published its 2025 Annual Audit Report, revealing significant clinical and behavioural improvements among participants of its diabetes education programmes.

The audit — covering more than 11,000 registered participants across the UK — confirms that X-PERT programmes continue to deliver some of the strongest real-world outcomes in diabetes self-management.

According to the results, participants achieved a mean reduction in HbA1c of 9.3 mmol/mol at six months, far exceeding the target based on the original clinical trial.

In addition, 46.5 per cent of participants reduced or omitted diabetes medication within six months, including 472 individuals who stopped medication entirely – representing an estimated £236,944 in annual savings for the NHS, the audit has reported.

Meanwhile, improvements were observed across a broad range of health markers, including weight, BMI, waist circumference, blood pressure and cholesterol ratios.

Other key findings from the 2025 X-PERT Health Audit include:

  • Participant empowerment increased by 20.5 per cent, demonstrating meaningful gains in confidence and self-management skills
  • All X-PERT Audit Standards were met or exceeded, reinforcing the organisation’s commitment to providing high-quality, evidence-based education
  • Programmes reached a diverse population, with 30 per cent of participants from ethnic minority communities, significantly higher than national census proportions.

With 1,194 programmes delivered during the audit period, attendance and completion rates remained strong (78.8 per cent and 85 per cent respectively). The findings also highlight X-PERT’s increasing success in engaging underserved communities.

The Reaching Underserved Communities Award was presented to the Pembrokeshire Community Diabetes Team at Hywel Dda University Health Board for pioneering a culturally sensitive, community-embedded approach to diabetes education.

This year’s X-PERT Organisation of the Year is Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, recognised for outstanding performance across multiple audit categories.

Educator of the Year was awarded to Jan Stuart, from Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust, for exceptional participant feedback and excellent clinical outcomes.

The audit confirms that X-PERT programmes offer a highly effective, scalable and cost-saving approach to diabetes self-management education, supporting the NHS in reducing long-term complications, improving patient outcomes and addressing health inequalities.

X-PERT Health is a UK registered charity delivering NICE-compliant diabetes, weight and wellbeing education programmes.

More than 500,000 people have completed X-PERT programmes to date, supported by a nationwide network of trained educators.

For more information on the results, visit xperthealth.org.uk/about/our-results.

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