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The X-PERT Way

Helping people make more informed choices to self manage their condition

Our story

X-PERT Health is an award winning registered charity based in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire.

It was developed by Dr Trudi Deakin in 2000 after becoming frustrated that people with diabetes did not understand their condition.

The educate not medicate approach was then tried and tested whilst undertaking her doctorate at the University of Leeds, with X-PERT Health being founded in 2008.

People living with diabetes see a healthcare professional for as little as 3 hours each year and have to manage the condition themselves for the remaining 8,757 hours. Trudi  felt strongly that routine healthcare did not equip people with the knowledge, skills and confidence to self-manage their condition.

An advocate of discovery learning, Trudi set up a series of focus groups to establish what information patients actually wanted to know about their condition and how the information should be delivered.

Meeting actual needs

It became clear that verbal information provided in a clinical setting was not helping people manage their condition on a day-to-day basis. To challenge this approach, group education sessions and educational visual aids were developed and piloted.

The success of these sessions led to the creation of the very first X-PERT Programme ‘X-PERT Diabetes’.

Focused on actual needs, the programme offered participants a weekly 2.5 hour session for six weeks. This prevented information overload, supported regular review and reinforcement and enabled participants to obtain the confidence to identity and set goals to develop self-management skills.

The effectiveness of the programmes were evaluated with a clinical trial.

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Structured education programmes

X-PERT Health now delivers three structured self-management programmes for people at risk of, or diagnosed with diabetes, obesity and other long term medical conditions each lasting 6 weeks. We also offer an introductory course called First Steps that lasts 2.5 hours. Each programme offers a fun way of learning about and understanding diabetes. We use visual aids and discovery learning to enable individuals to make their own informed decisions.

Our programmes also support the government’s current initiative of greater focus on education and awareness to help control the cost of health care. This means that everyone who is at risk or has Type 2 diabetes should have access to training for self-management.

In addition we deliver a 12 week weight loss and wellbeing programme called X-PERT Weight that focuses on the latest scientific understanding of weight loss. The programme myth busts many dated concepts with participants learning how different dietary approaches impact their weight and wellbeing.

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Reducing costs

We can demonstrate proven results that X-PERT Health reduces the burden of cost on NHS budgets.

We believe passionately that if people with prediabetes or diabetes understand their condition they can make different choices towards reducing medication and ultimately remission. Education not medication can help reduce NHS costs.

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Our Vision & Values

To help eradicate the need for Type 2 diabetes medication through the power of effective patient education. Our six values define us and how we behave.

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Education should be empowering

To help people feel more confident in making informed decisions to manage their condition and improve their health and wellbeing.

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Education should be person-centred

Everyone has different needs and wishes. We know one solution does not fit all. We take time to understand the evidence-based options and deliver those options in a manner that people can understand.

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Education should be supportive

We know that living with a long term condition isn't easy. We also know that making lifestyle changes isn't easy. We believe that support to compliment the education provided through resources such as our handbooks, online forums and newsletters is essential.

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Education should be continuously updated

Based on participant and educator feedback, we are always looking at new ways to improve our offer. We also critically review the latest scientific evidence and ensure that our resources are evidence-based.

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The impact of the education should be audited

We pride ourselves on delivering effective approaches that help transform people’s lives. We continuously track participant health and wellbeing indicators to ensure that we continue to positively impact on peoples' lives.

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Education should be visual and interactive

We feel that people are more engaged if they are active in the learning process. We also recognise that vision is the common language. We therefore support discovery learning to improve participant experience and enhance learning.

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