The National Digital Type 2 Diabetes Remission Programme is delivered nationally by Counterweight and is designed to complement existing local remission pathways.
It supports eligible patients with type 2 diabetes to achieve and sustain remission through an evidence-based, structured weight management programme.
Further information is available via the NHS Scotland section of the Counterweight website, which includes educational resources, referral guidance, and medication adjustment information to support safe participation in the programme.
I want to refer my patient
To refer your patient to the National Digital Type 2 Diabetes Remission Programme, please find more information below:
The programme is for patients who require more personalised or intensive support than the National Digital Type 2 Diabetes Remission Programme can provide.
I would like to refer my patient
An information sheet below outlines the considerations to make when choosing the most appropriate remission programme for your patient, details of eligibility criteria and how to make a referral. Please ensure patients meet all eligibility criteria and have no known medical exclusions.
Eligible patients are screened for suitability and once enrolled, are supported throughout the 12-month programme by local specialist diabetes dietitians to help them achieve remission.
The NHSGGC Remission Team will align them to a local specialist diabetes dietitian who will support them throughout their weight loss journey, helping them achieve remission.
The dietitians from the NHSGGC Remission Team are happy to discuss and advise on individual cases.
Confirm eligibility, including up-to-date HbA1c and blood pressure
Review and advise on medication changes, where necessary, prior to starting the programme (patient to book this appointment). Please refer to Medication Adjustment and Guidance for advice
Prescribe a 3-month supply of fibre supplement, if clinically appropriate
Provide a blood glucose monitor and box of strips. Only for patients previously on hypoglycaemic medication
During the Programme
Liaise with dietitians regarding medical or medication-related queries, as required
Review and adjust medications if indicated (e.g. in response to changes in blood glucose or blood pressure)
Support patients in arranging HbA1c testing at approximately 3 and 6 months
Receive written updates on patient progress, including notification of withdrawal where applicable
Post-Programme
Support HbA1c testing at 12 months
Continue routine annual diabetes care
Receive a summary of patient progress and outcomes at 12 months
Ongoing Communication and Monitoring
Raise any clinical concerns with the dietitian as appropriate
Patients are responsible for self-monitoring (blood glucose, blood pressure, weight) and for reporting concerns to the dietitian and/or GP practice
Dietitians will contact the GP where medication review is indicated; prescribing decisions remain the responsibility of the GP
GP practices will be kept informed of patient progress throughout the programme
Additional Information
Dietitians can provide weighing scales and blood pressure monitors if required
The programme will be evaluated in line with the Scottish Government framework, with quarterly reporting
What does the programme involve for my patient
Please explain to your patient that they will receive a programme information leaflet and a letter inviting them to book an appointment in the programme.
Following your patient booking an appointment with the NHSGGC Remission Team they will be screened to ensure they are suitable for the programme.
The referrer will also receive a notification on the outcome of the referral via letter.
If your patient is suitable, they will be fully supported by the NHSGGC Remission Team in preparation to commence the programme detailed below.
Stage 1 – Total Diet Replacement (12 weeks)
All meals are replaced with nutritionally balanced soups and shakes (providing around 850 calories per day)
Stage 2 – Food Reintroduction (12 weeks)
Gradual return to everyday foods and support with healthy eating and lifestyle habits.
Stage 3 – Weight Maintenance (6 months)
Ongoing support to help with building sustainable lifestyle habits and maintaining weight loss.
Where does the programme take place
Patients have the option of a mixture of in person, video or telephone calls.
There are clinics located across the Board.
Medication adjustments and guidance
Please note the guidance is the same for both the national and local programmes.
The National Digital Type 2 Diabetes Remission Programme is an NHS funded, 12 month, clinically proven, weight management programme supporting people with type 2 diabetes to achieve remission across Scotland.
To learn about the programme, please click on link below:
To find out more and check whether this programme might be right for you, please speak to your GP or diabetes care team.
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If you are eligible for the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Type 2 Diabetes Remission Programme, you will be invited to book an appointment with the team to learn more about the programme.
If suitable to start the programme, you will be supported by a Specialist Diabetes Dietitian for the 12-month programme. The programme is designed to help you safely lose weight and build healthier lifestyle habits for the future.
The programme is free of charge for all patients.
What the programme involves
Stage 1 – Total Diet Replacement (12 weeks)
All meals are replaced with nutritionally balanced soups and shakes (providing around 850 calories per day)
Stage 2 – Food Reintroduction (12 weeks)
Gradual return to everyday foods and support with healthy eating and lifestyle habits.
Stage 3 – Weight Maintenance (6 months)
Ongoing support to help with building sustainable lifestyle habits and maintaining weight loss.
Your GP or diabetes care team will be involved and support any required medication changes.
Further Information
Are you suitable for this programme
You may be suitable if:
You are aged between 18 – 65 years old
You have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes within the last 6 years
You are above a healthy weight, with a BMI between 27-45kg/m2 for individuals from white ethnic groups or 25-45kg/m2 for individuals from Black, Asian and other ethnic groups
Your HbA1c (average blood glucose) is above
48mmol/mol if you are not taking diabetes medication
43mmol/mol if you are taking diabetes medication
You feel ready and motivated to make changes to your diet and lifestyle
You feel ready to commit to a 12-month programme, including attending regular appointments with the dietitian
Please note if you are on insulin, you are not suitable for the programme and other exclusion criteria may apply.
Where the programme takes place
Appointments are flexible and can be a mixture of in person, video or telephone calls.
How to refer yourself to the programme
If you would like to explore whether you are eligible for this programme:
Please speak to your GP or diabetes care team and they can arrange a referral if appropriate.
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Take control of your health and diabetes
Type 2 diabetes doesn’t have to be a lifelong condition. Research shows that by losing 10 kilograms to 15 kilograms, many people can achieve diabetes remission and improve their long-term health.
While remission is a realistic goal for many adults with type 2 diabetes, not everyone will meet the eligibility criteria for the programmes offered.
What is diabetes remission?
Diabetes remission means your blood glucose (sugar) levels return to a non-diabetes range without needing diabetes medication.
Not everyone will achieve remission, but many people who take part experience huge improvements in their health, weight, energy levels, and overall wellbeing.
Remission is not a cure. Diabetes can return, particularly if weight is regained. However, with the right support and ongoing lifestyle changes, many people can keep their diabetes well controlled for years.
For more information on type 2 diabetes remission watch the below video.
As part of your diabetes treatment plan, your GP can discuss the different programmes available to you. Please click the options below to find out more about the programmes.
There are two Type 2 Diabetes Remission programmes available for your patients. The treatment intervention, duration and eligibility criteria are the same across both programmes.
NHSGGC Type 2 Diabetes Remission Programme
The local programme is suited to individuals who require the option of face-to-face consultations, have limited digital literacy and would benefit from additional clinical support.
To find out more information about the NHSGGC Type 2 Diabetes Remission programme and if your patient meets the eligibility criteria please click below link:
National Digital Type 2 Diabetes Remission Programme
The National digital programme is delivered by Counterweight health coaches and dietitians. Patients will have access to a digital application, health monitoring resources, personalised coaching and peer support.
To find out more information about the National Digital Type 2 Diabetes Remission Programme and if your patient meets the eligibility criteria please click below.
If your patient does not meet the eligibility criteria or is not suitable for Type 2 Diabetes Programmes please consider a referral to the Glasgow and Clyde Weight Management Service.
Primary Care is the front door to healthcare in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, providing essential, first‑contact services to more than 1.3 million people across the region.
From GPs and community pharmacies to dental and optometry services, Primary Care plays a vital role in prevention, early intervention, and supporting people to access the right care, in the right place.
Our Primary Care Strategy outlines how we will continue to strengthen these services, improve access, reduce inequalities, and work collaboratively with partners and communities.
These publications have been produced in line with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s Accessible Information Guidelines. It is available in a range of formats and languages. Please contact us with your request.
If you would like a copy in another spoken language, please call 0141 201 4874 using our telephone interpreting service.
Primary Care Services
Read more about what Primary Care services can do for you and how to access them.
These professionals are part of your Primary Care team. To help you feel confident in seeking the right help, we’ve highlighted some of our NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Primary Care roles.
Click on each one below to learn more about their roles, how they can assist you, and how you can reach them.
Remember, it’s also important to utilise the resources available to you when you have a health concern. Before contacting any healthcare professional, consider using online resources, as your symptoms might be manageable at home. Helpful tools include symptom finder on NHS Inform and the NHS 24 app.
The Community Weight Management Service is part of the Glasgow and Clyde Weight Management Service (GCWMS).
The Weight Management hub triages patients to self-management, Community or Specialist services depending on health conditions and clinical need.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Weight Management Service currently does not prescribe weight loss injectable medications (such as GLP‑1 medications) and cannot provide a route to accessing these within NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. If you’d like to learn more about what our Weight Management Service offers, you can download our Service Information Leaflet below.
Community Weight Management offers a free 12-week membership to either Slimming World or Weight Watchers to help you lose weight in a safe, sustainable and realistic way.
This gives you access to a blend of in-person and online support which includes:
Weekly face to face or online sessions
A timetable of virtual sessions
Free access to an app offering food planners, activity and weight loss trackers
Online, quick, simple and healthy recipes
Equipment-free, easy workouts
24/7 access to a social community
Patients who have used this service say it’s been life-changing, guiding them on a journey to learn new habits that make losing weight safe, simple, and sustainable.
What is Specialist Weight Management?
The Specialist Weight Management Service is delivered by a team of dieticians, psychologists and physiotherapists.
Psychological approaches and physical activity guidance are provided alongside dietary advice, tailored to your needs.
This approach will help you identify ways to overcome barriers to weight loss.
Weight loss medication and surgery may be considered as part of the programme where appropriate.
If you’d like to learn more about the Specialist Weight Management Service visit:
You can access the service by speaking to your GP, Practice Nurse, or other Health Professional (dietitian, physiotherapist) about a referral to the service.
If you are a health professional looking to refer your patient:
You can self-refer to the service if you have a BMI over 25 (22.5 for patients with South Asian, Chinese, Middle Eastern ethnicity) and are living with diabetes, heart disease, or have experienced a stroke. To get started, simply complete the self-referral form below and our staff will be in touch to guide you through the next steps.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Weight Management Service currently does not prescribe weight loss injectable medications (such as GLP‑1 medications) and cannot provide a route to accessing these within NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
Injectable incretin treatments (also known as weight management medicines and by brand names such as Mounjaro® and Wegovy® ) help support weight loss in patients with high Body Mass Index (BMI). These treatments include a type called Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists or GLP1 for short.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is aware that some patients are accessing these treatments from private (non-NHS) suppliers and would like to provide some additional information which may be helpful to your care.
Use of these medicines works best for patients who are obese (BMI of over 30, or over 27 with a weight-related health condition) and will help a controlled loss of weight. There is no evidence to support use in people who are a healthy weight or for use as an aid for short term weight loss.
Prescription Only Medicines
These medications are prescription-only and must be prescribed by a registered healthcare professional. They should only be used by the person named on the prescription and under medical supervision.
Using someone else’s medication is unsafe and illegal.
When used correctly and for the right reasons, these treatments are safe. However, using them without proper medical oversight, especially in people with a healthy or low BMI, is associated with clinical risk, as the side effects and effectiveness in these groups are unknown.
Private Supplies of Weight Management Medication
If you choose to get weight management medication from a private provider, it’s important to make sure:
The provider is legally registered, and the medication is licensed.
You do not buy from unlicensed sources like beauty salons or social media.
You speak to a healthcare professional before starting treatment.
Private providers do not have access to your full medical history, so they must carry out a full risk assessment before prescribing. The safest way to make sure your medication is legal and safe is to have it dispensed by a registered pharmacy.
If you are using weight management medication from a private source, please tell your GP practice. It is the responsibility of the private provider to assess whether these are safe for you to use, your GP practice does not have capacity to double check this assessment. The practice will usually add these on to your medicines record. This helps keep your medical records up to date and ensures any other treatments you receive are safe and appropriate—especially if your weight changes or you’re prescribed other medications.
Counterfeit Medicines
There are also reports of counterfeit versions of these medicines. These are illegal and may not contain the correct ingredients or doses. Using counterfeit medicines can be dangerous, as there is no quality control or guarantee of safety.
There have been several recent reports of counterfeit weight loss pens being sold via social media and online. The growth in popularity of GPL-1 medicines such as semgaglutide or Mounjaro has led to a surge to a huge rise in scam websites or social media posts which offer them illegally without a prescription.
These treatments are being considered for people with a BMI of 38 or higher with at least one obesity-related condition (as per Scottish Government Phase 1 rollout guidance). NHSGGC are working to establish pathways for patients who will meet this criteria.
They are not suitable for weight management for people with:
A history of pancreatitis
Severe kidney or liver disease
Frailty or advanced age
Severe mental health conditions
Diabetic eye disease which requires treatment.
T2 diabetes on insulin unless under the supervision of a diabetes specialist team.
T1 diabetes.
These medications should not be used during pregnancy, while trying to conceive, or when breastfeeding.
Using these medications without proper medical supervision can worsen existing health problems and lead to serious side effects.
Drug Interactions
Some medications can interact with weight management medicines, so it is important patients are aware of the risks. As private providers must carry out a full health assessment before prescribing, this will check for any risks or interactions with other medications. Some GP practices have reported that patients were not informed about important interactions, such as with contraception.
Contraception
Tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) may reduce the effectiveness of oral contraceptives.
Women are advised to use a non-oral contraceptive (e.g. patch, implant, IUD) for 4 weeks after starting or increasing the dose.
Women of childbearing age should use effective contraception during treatment and for a few months after stopping.
Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
These medicines may affect how well oral HRT works.
Patches or vaginal products are preferred for oestrogen, as they bypass the stomach.
It’s unclear if progesterone in HRT is affected.
Other Medications
Because these medicines slow down how quickly the stomach empties, they can affect how other medicines are absorbed. This includes:
Warfarin (blood thinner)
Digoxin (used for heart conditions)
These medicines may need closer monitoring to ensure the dose remains safe. Please speak to your pharmacist for advice.
Side Effects
Like most medicines, weight loss medicines can cause side effects. The most common ones include:
Nausea
Vomiting
Constipation or diarrhoea
Headache
These side effects are usually mild and go away on their own. If they don’t improve or get worse, patients should get medical advice, ideally from the healthcare professional who prescribed the medication.
Serious Side Effects
A rare but serious side effect is pancreatitis. If you experience severe stomach pain that spreads to your back and doesn’t go away, get urgent medical help.
Tips for Safe Use
To reduce side effects and support your health while on treatment:
Stay well hydrated
Eat small, regular meals
Include protein in each meal
Stay active to maintain muscle
Eat a varied diet to avoid nutrient deficiencies
Drug Safety Updates
Drug Safety Updates (DSU) – Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency
If you’re unwell and have a minor injury or illness, there are different options available for treatment and advice rather than going straight to A&E. These options could involve advice from home, or treatment which is often closer to you. This could also save you time, as waits at A&E can be long for conditions that aren’t life‑threatening.
A&E is there for serious or life‑threatening emergencies. If you think it may be an emergency, call 999 or go straight to A&E. If you’re unsure, you can get urgent advice at any time by calling NHS 24 on 111.
Finger and hand injuries (cuts and suspected fractures)
Most finger injuries involving minor cuts can be treated at home by cleaning and dressing the wound.
If you have or suspect a broken finger bone, and there isn’t an open wound, treat at home by taping or bandaging the finger so it cannot move and attend your nearest Minor Injuries Unit (MIU).
Seek A&E treatment if the injury is more serious – for example, if bones are displaced, bones are visible in a wound, or there is a deep wound with heavy bleeding.
Ankle, wrist and forearm injuries (sprains, strains and suspected fractures)
Most common ankle, wrist and forearm injuries can be managed at home with rest, ice, compression and elevation.
If you are unable to walk, or there is severe swelling or deformity, attend your nearest Minor Injuries Unit (MIU).
Seek A&E treatment if the injury is more serious – for example, if bones are displaced, bones are visible in a wound, or there is a deep wound with heavy bleeding.
Lower back pain
Most back strains and sprains can be managed at home with pain relief and gentle movement, and may benefit from physiotherapy.
New severe back pain without injury, can be serious. If there is loss of power in the legs, difficulty passing urine or severe pain comes on suddenly without injury in someone over 50 call NHS 24 on 111 urgently. In an emergency call 999.
Head injury
Minor bumps to the head or small wounds often do not require treatment and can be treated at home. Clean any wounds and apply ice to reduce swelling, if required.
For deeper scalp wounds, attend your nearest Minor Injuries Unit (MIU).
Seek urgent medical advice from NHS 24 on 111 or call 999 if you anyone has had a head injury and:
Lost consciousness
Are aged 65 or over
Have persistent headache or vomiting
Become confused or have a seizure
Are taking blood‑thinning medication.
Illnesses
Coughs, colds and sore throats (viral infections)
Most viral infections, such as coughs, colds and sore throats, can be managed at home with rest and over-the-counter medication such as paracetamol.
See a local pharmacist or your GP if symptoms are more severe, persistent or worsening.
If you can’t take fluids, or are unable to get out of bed, seek urgent medical advice from NHS 24 on 111.
If there is shortage of breath at rest, confusion, cold, clammy skin, or a new non-blanching rash, go to A&E or call 999.
Stomach upset (diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting)
Most stomach upsets are viral and can be managed at home with rest and fluids.
See a local pharmacist or your GP if symptoms are more severe, persistent or worsening. You should contact your GP if you have other medical conditions such as HIV, diabetes, liver disease, Parkinson’s disease or if you have had a transplant.
If you are unable to keep fluids down, are vomiting blood, collapse, or have severe abdominal pain, seek urgent medical advice from NHS 24 on 111 or call 999 in an emergency.
Urinary symptoms (possible urine infection / UTI)
Minor symptoms of a urine infection, such as stinging when passing urine, can usually be dealt with by your local pharmacy in the first instance or by contacting your GP.
If symptoms are more severe, or you develop high fever, shivering, confusion or mottled skin, seek urgent medical advice from NHS 24 on 111 or call 999 in an emergency.
Eye problems
Many common eye problems, such as sore, red or sticky eyes, mild eye infections, or minor vision problems, can be assessed by high‑street opticians, who can advise on treatment or refer you on if needed.
If there is sudden loss of vision, severe eye pain, or an eye injury, seek medical advice from NHS 24 on 111 or call 999 in an emergency.
When to seek urgent help
Signs of a stroke (new face, arm, speech deficit). More information is available at Stroke | NHS inform
Head injuries with loss of consciousness, confusion or vomiting
Badly deformed or visible bone injuries, heavily bleeding wounds
Severe pain, breathing difficulties, or being unable to keep fluids down
High fever, seizures, mottled skin or becoming poorly responsive
New severe back pain where there is loss of power in the legs, difficulty passing urine or severe pain comes on suddenly without injury in someone over 50
Shortage of breath at rest, confusion, cold, clammy skin, or a new non-blanching rash.
If you’re still unsure
If you’re not sure what to do, call NHS 24 on 111 for advice and help to get the right care for your needs.
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