Mark Townsend, a Type 2 Diabetes Patient in North Yorkshire told us about his journey into remission:

When I joined the NHS diabetes remission programme, I knew something had to change. I’d been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and while that was a wake-up call, the idea of losing weight and transforming my lifestyle felt daunting.

Fast forward a year, and I’ve gone from 16½ stone to 13 stone—and more importantly, I’m now in remission from diabetes. This journey hasn’t been easy, but it’s been absolutely worth it. It’s been about discipline, support, and a real shift in how I live my life.

The First 6 Months: Total Diet Replacement (TDR)

The programme began with what’s called Total Diet Replacement (TDR)—a phase I was a bit sceptical about at first. For the first six months, I had four nutritionally complete shakes a day, totalling around 800 calories.

I’ll be honest: it sounded extreme, and at first, it was a shock to the system. But after the first week or two, it got easier. The shakes are designed to provide everything your body needs, so I wasn’t lacking in nutrition—just resetting my relationship with food. And once I got used to it, the simplicity was actually helpful. No decisions, no temptations, just sticking to the plan.

And it worked. The weight started to come off steadily, and I began to feel the difference not just physically, but mentally as well.

Transitioning Back to Food: Learning for Life

After six months, the next phase began: gradually reintroducing real food. This part was about learning how to eat in a way that would support my weight loss and keep the diabetes in remission. It wasn’t just about what to eat, but how to maintain balance, portion control, and healthier habits in the long term.

It was also the point where I started really enjoying food again—not as a comfort or a habit, but as fuel. And this phase helped me build a sustainable way of eating that I can stick with for life.

From Groaning to Growing—in the Gym

Exercise became an unexpected highlight of this journey. At first, the gym felt like a chore. I wasn’t fit, and it was tough going. But with time, it became something I genuinely enjoy. Working out gave me energy, helped with the weight loss, and boosted my confidence.

It’s now a routine I look forward to. It’s not about being a fitness fanatic—it’s about being consistent and feeling good in my body again.

Support That Makes the Difference

What truly helped keep me on track was the incredible support from the coaching team at Oviva who support NHS. They were with me every step of the way, helping me stay accountable, offering advice, and encouraging me through the tough days. That kind of support is what makes this programme stand out.

Remission—and a New Chapter

Today, I’m proud to say I’m in remission from type 2 diabetes. That word means everything to me. It’s not just about numbers on a scale or a glucose meter—it’s about getting my life back.

If you’re considering a programme like this, my advice is simple: be honest, stick with it, lean on the support around you, and don’t give up. The first few weeks are the hardest, but the transformation is worth every bit of effort.

This programme didn’t just help me lose weight—it gave me the tools to live a longer, healthier, and more empowered life.

I think I ‘always knew’ I wanted to be a midwife. When I was 11, I spent my summer holidays raising money for the local birth centre to buy some more equipment. Midwifery, pregnancy and birth was something that really interested me, and throughout my teenage years I felt I had a sense of direction that I would pursue it as a career path.

Becoming a student midwife was the biggest challenge of my life, developing as a person and as a professional at the age of 20, but I had a fantastic experience building up my knowledge base working with incredibly passionate, dedicated and supportive mentors. I completed my training in 2014, and post-qualification I worked rotationally on each of the inpatient wards, before starting a secondment within the Children’s Safeguarding Team in 2019. Here I developed my knowledge and confidence of multidisciplinary working with social care, and supporting colleagues with their safeguarding queries and concerns.

Following maternity leave with my first child, I joined a Continuity of Care team. This was incredibly rewarding being able to hold a small caseload and get to know the families under your care well, but it became difficult to balance alongside family life. After 12 months within a fantastic team, I decided to return to the community, where I continue to work now alongside my most recent position within the Local Maternity and Neonatal System in the ICB.

As part of the Ask A Midwife project we provide a form of digital support for pregnant women and their families, answering non-urgent queries and signposting to relevant support and services. We also disseminate public health information through social media posts and attend face to face promotional events such as the monthly HEYBABY Carousel event at Women and Children’s Hospital in Hull. In October 2024, we were awarded a RCM Award for Outstanding Contribution to Maternity Services: Digital, and we are hoping to support in the expansion of the project in other areas. 

I enjoy being involved in the development of personalised maternity care. Being a mother of young children myself, I recognise the importance of feeling listened to when it comes to advocating for ourselves during what can be a vulnerable time in our lives. My hope is that within my job roles I can empower women to make informed choices and feel supported during their episode of maternity care. 

To celebrate this years Social Work Week, Rachael Sharp, Designated Professional for Safeguarding Adults at NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) reflects on her career in social work over the years.

‘I knew from a young age that I wanted to be a social worker, I wanted to work with people and make a difference, some of this came from a place of wanting equality for people and justice, making sure people had their rights and choices heard. I had some personal experience within my family and witnessing firsthand the role that social workers had empowered me to identify this would be my career path. I am now in year 27 of my health and social care career and would not change a single day!

Leaving school, I went to sixth form completing a GNVQ (General National Vocational Qualification) in Health and Health and Social Care, this heightened my want to become a social worker. At 19 I decided I wanted some work experience and started working within social care settings. Eventually becoming a social work assistant in a child protection team in Hull.

A few years later I was lucky enough for my employer to financially support me to undertake my social work degree which I completed in 2011. I have worked across various sectors in my social care career including Children Social Care, Domestic Abuse Services, Adults Social Care, Mental Health and Safeguarding.

I became an Approved Mental Health Practitioner in 2015, this was my most challenging role to date, both work demand and supporting those in mental health crisis. Having gained insight in working alongside health colleagues during this role, initiated my curiosity of working in a health provider alongside other professions supporting individuals holistically, applying the social care model in a world of medically driven interventions, I found this rewarding and challenging.

The best part of being a social worker is having the privilege of working with people often at a time of crisis but being able to listen, support and empower them through the most difficult times. I love hearing people’s stories, memories and experiences, I could sit for hours listening and supporting and providing choice to people to make their lives more empowered, enabling them to maintain independence. I have met some amazingly resilient individuals who have inspired me in my own life and made me the social worker I am today.

I am now working in safeguarding within an Integrated Care Board, although I do not get to work front line, I use my experience to inform my input and involvement in strategic decision making. It remains a privilege working for the NHS alongside so many dedicated, experienced and passionate colleagues with the aim of wanting to make things better.

My social worker career so far has not disappointed, its challenging, rewarding, empowering and enriching, I would advocate anyone who is thinking about a social care career to do it!’