How Reed Wellbeing Transformed Diabetes Prevention with AI-Powered Proactive Engagement

In this article

Background

Reed Wellbeing, one of the UK’s leading public service providers, has been delivering the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme (NDPP) since 2016. Through a nine-month community-based programme, combining both face-to-face and digital sessions, it empowers participants to lower their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and build healthier lifestyles.

In 2023, Reed Wellbeing worked with digital transformation partner, Business Systems and a leader in Proactive AI, NiCE, to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and increase conversion rates, while ensuring a better experience for patients.

The result? A radical improvement in speed-to-engage, conversion rates and efficiency – with Reed Wellbeing becoming a top-performing NDPP provider nationwide.

The Challenges

Operating 7 contracts across the country, Reed Wellbeing’s contact centre team was tasked with engaging up to 500 daily referrals from GPs. Each individual had to be contacted at least three times within 30 days – a manual, time-consuming process delivered entirely by voice agents.

  • High contact volumes: Hundreds of referrals daily requiring prompt engagement.
  • Manual dependency: Contact centre staff making repeated outbound calls.
  • Variable success: Despite improvements, conversion from referral to programme start plateaued at ~40–43%.
  • Inclusivity demands: Engagement needed to accommodate wide demographics—ages 18–80, differing digital literacy, and multiple languages.

“We’d made progress, but we were still relying solely on voice. There was a clear opportunity to do more, faster – and at scale”

Nick Hughes Divisional Director @ Reed Wellbeing

Discovery

Business Systems ran an in-depth Discovery Day at Reed Wellbeing’s Liverpool site, identifying two areas for transformation. One stood out: an opportunity to streamline engagement by replacing outbound dialling with an AI-led, proactive solution.

Business Systems introduced NiCE’s Proactive AI Agent to the conversation, a platform capable of engaging participants via SMS, email, and automated calls – and the results soon spoke for themselves.

“Business Systems were the catalyst. They identified the opportunity, introduced the solution, and facilitated the journey end to end.”

Nick Hughes Divisional Director @ Reed Wellbeing

The solution

With Business Systems’ and NiCE’s support, Reed Wellbeing implemented an AI-powered engagement journey across SMS, email and voice channels. This allowed immediate contact following referral – eliminating days of delay and replacing manual effort with intelligent, automated outreach.

24/7 engagement via preferred channels
Multilingual support and inclusive messaging
Real-time handoffs to human agents when needed
Weekly agile development cycles with NiCE
Tailored journeys for specific demographics, including those in deprived areas or whose first language isn’t English

“The AI journey is far more persistent. You’d need double the headcount to match its engagement.”

Nick Hughes Divisional Director @ Reed Wellbeing

The partnership

Partnership Approach

Reed Wellbeing’s success was driven by close collaboration:

  • Business Systems: Identified opportunities, facilitated vendor engagement, validated delivery, and supported change management.
  • NiCE Developed a bespoke AI engagement journey, continuously iterating through weekly reviews with Reed Wellbeing.
  • Reed Wellbeing: Provided domain expertise in healthcare delivery and participant engagement.

Benefits & Results

“Patients referred by their GP today can start a face-to-face programme as soon as 5 days later. That was almost unheard of before”

Nick Hughes Divisional Director @ Reed Wellbeing

“We, and NHS England, always believed that the faster you engage with somebody who was referred to the diabetes prevention programme, the more likely they would be to start it. That’s exactly what Proactive AI has allowed us to prove”

Nick Hughes Divisional Director @ Reed Wellbeing

The Business Systems Difference

Business Systems acted as the strategic partner throughout:
🔹 Identifying the opportunity
🔹 Scoping the need
🔹 Introducing and aligning stakeholders
🔹 Supporting implementation
🔹 Providing ongoing consultancy

“There’s a lot of noise around AI. This isn’t the same AI most people think of in contact centres. It’s process efficiency with a human outcome delivering, real impact, real service transformation.”

Nick Hughes Divisonal Director @ Reed Wellbeing

Outcomes Aligned with NHS England’s Vision

Reed Wellbeing’s success also aligns with the NHS 10-Year Plan which emphasises moving from analogue to digital, aiming for “the most digitally accessible health system in the world”, with the solution directly contributing to prevention and self-management, reduced long-term health costs and improved patient outcomes.

“It’s not about removing humans. It’s about giving them space to upskill and focus on more complex, emotionally charged, higher-value conversations”

Nick Hughes Divisonal Director @ Reed Wellbeing

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