A HEALTHCARE professional has managed to nearly triple referrals to a diabetes prevention programme as he goes above and beyond to try and help people live healthier.
In May last year, James Ball began working for Barnsley Healthcare Federation where he threw himself into the task of increasing referrals to the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme (NDDP), which helps identify diabetes before it starts affecting your health.
Between August 2022 and July 2023, 822 people in the borough referred to the programme, however since James came in this has nearly tripled, with 2,173 getting a referral between then and July this year.
He told the Chronicle: “I’ve been using clinical systems and GP referrals to find people.
“Then I invite them into the programme to find them help before it gets worse.
“I think a lot of people don’t realise how serious type two diabetes can be - it can increase your risk of heart disease and in extreme cases lead to blindness.
“If people don’t realise this or its causes they can’t avoid it.
“So it’s about getting that knowledge and awareness out there.”
The 33-year-old who lives in Green Moor uses his background in health, wellbeing and exercise to offer advice to those he sees, giving them dietary plans and other tips to help improve their health and avoid the potentially life-altering issues that can come from diabetes.
“We’ll talk about what choices they can make and I’ll refer them on to other programmes,” he added.
“It’s quite rewarding to know that you’re helping people to live a healthier lifestyle.”
For his work to help thousands of people, James has been nominated for this year’s Proud of Barnsley by his line manager Ani Ajit Kumar.
In her nomination, she said: “This is in recognition of his exceptional efforts to increase referrals into the NDPP.
“James joined our team in May 2023 and took an important role with a clear objective to enhance referrals into the NDPP.
“To achieve this objective James implemented multifaceted interventions through community awareness sessions, fostering strong collaboration with health care professionals and community support workers and use of technology which successfully led into increasing the number of patients referred into the NDPP.
“I firmly believe that James deserves this recognition for his exceptional contributions to the NDPP and I am confident he will continue to inspire positive change across Barnsley by improving the care and outcomes.”
James admits the news was surprising, saying: “It was a bit of a shock when she said she wanted to nominate me.
“I’m just doing my job - I’m going out there, making more leaflets and flyers and working with healthcare co-ordinators to try and help as many people as I can.”
