Vascular checks learning network, November 2008 Commissioning weight management services - How can national level support best be provided? Gill Moffett Cross-Government Obesity Unit

2 Obesity is a major challenge for England Foresight report showed that levels of obesity and overweight will rise to 60 per cent in men and 50 per cent in women by 2050 Government’s strategy set out in Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives – focused initially on children, covers prevention and treatment Includes a commitment to support increased commissioning of weight management services, to provide support to overweight/obese individuals in moving towards and maintaining a healthier weight Key referral route in vascular checks; importance of weight management services also highlighted in NHS Next Stage Review

3 We need to understand how best to provide national level support on weight management services Consultation on child weight management services found that local areas: – Had consistent problems when it came to tendering eg limited choice of provider, quality standards, variable pricing, little provider flexibility – Wanted support on evaluating effectiveness of services – Needed standard service specifications they could adapt

4 We can build on what we’ve learnt from initial focus on services for children Based on feedback from PCTs on weight management services for children, the Cross-Government Obesity Unit has: – Started to develop a list of ‘pre-qualified’ providers for PCT call –off – setting standards and creating a market – Published a commissioning guide, including tools around needs assessment, developing service specifications, working with providers, monitoring and evaluation

5 How can we best provide support to local areas? Questions for discussion today: What’s happening in your area in terms of adult weight management? What are the current barriers to commissioning adult weight management services? What is working well? What could be done at the national level to provide more support?