Memorandum by Weight Watchers UK Ltd (WP
28)
1. INTRODUCTION
Weight Watchers welcomes the importance attached
in the White Paper to the prevention and treatment of obesity,
and the emphasis on encouraging healthier lifestyles.
However, the immensity of the public health
task outlined in the White Paper is such that we believe many
proposals will not yield results unless the Government effectively
harnesses the expertise and experience of the private sector to
work in partnership to deliver essential outcomes.
Weight Watchers has a strong evidence base underpinning
its effectiveness, particularly in long term weight loss, and
this is detailed in Annex 1. Weight Watchers is committed to supporting
the Department of Health and other agencies in sharing expertise,
evidence and resource, as well as access to its community based
group support network.
Weight Watchers has over thirty years' experience
of helping people to lose weight, and our approach is based on
coaching people to enjoy a healthy balanced range of normal food,
get active and make behavioural changes. We run over 6,500 Meetings
each week in the UK.
Our new SWITCH programme launched at the beginning
of January is the result of detailed theory and research indicating
that a behavioural approach and the availability of choice are
essential to successful weight management programmes.
2. INITIATIVES
IN THE
WHITE PAPER
There are a number of initiatives in the White
Paper to which Weight Watchers could contribute its expertise
and experience, and work in partnership with the NHS towards successful
outcomes. These are listed briefly below.
| The White Paper states that the Government/DH will do or is already doing:
| In response, Weight Watchers could, for example:
|
1. Corporate Social Responsibility Values
| |
— Local/National employers responding to people's wish for better health.
| Broaden our current programme of WW at Work programmes.
|
— Government to work with others to develop a network of health champions.
— Seeking greater leadership in CSR from the private sector.
| WW would encourage a link up with the Faculty of Occupational Health and/or the Occupational Health arm of the Royal Colleges.
|
2. Core Theme of White Paper is "Informed Choice"
— Paper proposes that health promotion learns about marketing and specifically marketing health from the private sector to learn how to create and respond to a demand for health.
|
Offer to help the NHS develop marketing skills by sharing expertise eg the Weight Watchers sponsored seminar on "marketing health" targeted at Directors of Primary Care/Public Health specialists.
|
3. Nutrition Labelling
— Government intend to press the EU to simplify and make mandatory nutrition labelling.
— Government is working with FSA to develop criteria for fat, salt and sugar levels and indicate how food is contributing to a healthy diet. The criteria for the 5 a day logo is being used as a starting point.
| |
— Signposting system to be introduced by mid 2005 and likely to be the "traffic light" coding system.
| Offer "test bed" of WW food products for piloting of traffic light signposting scheme.
|
4. Government to Develop "Health Direct"
— Consumer information service (website/telephone line) designed to facilitate access to health services.
| Support/sponsor help line and discuss inclusion of WW services as weight loss option which patients could access.
|
5. Skills for Health Programme
— To drive forward action to improve health literacy, focussing on deprived areas.
— enable each PCT to run at least one Skills for Health programme.
| Opportunity for Weight Watchers leaders (as community leaders with behavioural change skills) to link into and support delivery of this programme.
Support or sponsor local training programmes and share WW training competencies in weight management support and coaching.
|
6. Portion Sizes
— Government will discuss with industry how to reverse trend towards bigger portion sizes.
Governments Specific Efforts to Tackle Obesity.
| Share expertise of WW food product development in developing criteria for "healthy portion" sizes.
|
7. Care pathway
— To develop a comprehensive "care pathway" for obesity providing a model for prevention and treatment of obesity.
|
Support/sponsor the development work of care pathway.
|
8. Weight Loss Guide
— Commission the production of a "Weight Loss Guide" to set out what is known about regimes for losing weight and help people select an approach which suits them.
|
Support/sponsor the development including pre-testing of the guide.
|
9. National Partnership for Obesity
— Government will set up this new body with a remit.
— To promote practical action.
— To be a source of information on obesity.
|
Weight Watchers could be involved in this partnership, and contribute resource, skills, knowledge etc.
|
10. Test Behaviour Change Programmes
"The independent sector may have a key role in providing effective behaviour change programmes in ways that are more acceptable than traditional NHS care to some groups of patients. We will want to test this as part of a procurement for a year in care for diabetic patients".
| Support to test the Weight Watchers Referral Scheme (see below) targeted at diabetic patients. Opportunities to collaborate with diabetic clinics/academic departments to set up a study to assess outcomes for diabetic patients referred to Weight Watchers.
|
| |
3. GP REFERRAL
The National Obesity Forum's protocol for the treatment of
overweight patients recognises referral to a commercial slimming
organisation such as Weight Watchers as a first line treatment
option.
Over the past two years, we have been working with four Primary
Care Trusts to test how a partnership scheme between the NHS and
Weight Watchers could work and whether it is effective. Annex
2 gives details of results to date and how we will be developing
a referral scheme over the next year.
January 2005
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