Public Health Wales: Tackling Diabetes Together digital discovery

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With Type 2 diabetes rising fast across Wales, Public Health Wales (PHW) commissioned Healthia to lead a strategic discovery - focused not on the technology itself, but on what makes digital tools meaningful for people and workable for the professionals supporting them.

Wales has some of the highest diabetes rates in the UK. If trends continue, 1 in 11 adults will be living with diabetes by 2035. This puts huge pressure on the system and deepens health inequalities. The Digital Diabetes Discovery was part of PHW’s Tackling Diabetes Together programme, a whole-system prevention and improvement initiative. Our brief: define how digital investment can support better outcomes, self-management, and equity.

Understanding the frontline reality

Our research focused on healthcare professionals. We conducted in-depth research with GPs, diabetes nurses and dietitians across Wales to understand:

• Where digital currently helps - and where it hinders
• Experience across the eight care processes and the system that underpins diabetes care
• How tools like MyDesmond, PKB and PocketMedic are understood and used
• Needs, pain-points and opportunities around education, screening and support

We used early concept sketches and service mapping to explore 11 digital capabilities - from goal setting and peer support, to content broadcasting, appointment booking and outcome auditing.

What we heard

Healthcare professionals were clear: the challenge isn’t a lack of tools. It’s the way digital services are fragmented, hard to access, and poorly promoted. We learnt:

• Lack of awareness - many patients don’t know what care processes are or why they matter. For example, few understood the purpose of the urinary ACR test, making them less likely to complete it.
• First steps are too difficult - structured education often jumps straight into complex or irrelevant content. Initial experiences feel clinical, not empowering
• Digital content isn’t engaging - most online education is one-way, overly medical, and lacks interactivity. HCPs felt it should be co-designed like modern learning platforms, not written like academic lectures
• Fragmented user experience - capabilities like tracking, goal setting and peer support exist in different apps, making it hard for patients or staff to see a joined-up care journey

From insight to framework

We developed a framework to guide future digital investment. It focused on linking capabilities to outcomes rather than backing a single tool or supplier.

• For self-management: apps and content that help people build healthy habits, track their data, and understand their risks over time - especially useful for younger, working-age adults.
• For clinical care: tools that support better screening uptake, improve communication across teams, and target resources where the need is highest.
• For equity: interventions tailored to low-literacy, multilingual, rural and low-income groups - including bite-sized video content, print resources, and community-led support models.

We also considered where AI and other emerging technologies and tools could help - from proactive nudges to community-based screening tools using smartphone cameras.

Strategic impact

Our recommendations are helping PHW and NHS Wales:

• Make smarter, evidence-based decisions about digital investment
• Focus funding where it will make the biggest impact on population health
• Design digital services that reflect the reality of primary care
• Support a prevention-first agenda without increasing workload for already stretched professionals

Louisa Nolan, Head of Data Science at Public Health Wales, said:

“This discovery project is a vital step towards improving how we support people living with Type 2 diabetes in Wales. By exploring innovative digital tools and addressing health inequalities, we can empower individuals to manage their health more effectively, enabling them to live healthier, longer lives.

Sam Menter, Managing Director at Healthia said:

“This project is a chance to transform diabetes care in Wales by combining cutting-edge digital innovation with a deep understanding of what people need. By working closely with PHW and communities, we can advance the NHS’s prevention agenda and tackle health inequalities head-on.”

About Public Health Wales

Public Health Wales is the national public health organisation for Wales 

• We’re your primary source of trusted public health information, independent expertise and world-class research and innovation, to help everyone in Wales live healthier lives. 

• With our partners across government, third sector and local communities, our teams work to prevent disease, protect health and provide specialist expertise.

• Together we aim to reduce inequalities, increase healthy life expectancy and improve health and wellbeing for everyone in Wales, now and for future generations. 

Public Health Wales. Working together for a healthier Wales. More information about Public Health Wales.  

About Healthia

‍Healthia is a collaborative service design consultancy with over a decade of experience working across health and care - digital prevention, breast cancer support services, NHS trusts, public health and third sector. The team uncovers evidence around where to invest for impact, to understand what people need and to align stakeholders. They co-design change; identify and prototype opportunities for innovation and build robust cases for investment.

This approach delivers better outcomes through needs-based transformation, confidence in investment decisions and better experiences for patients, clinicians and staff.

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