Memorandum by the National Obesity Forum
(WP 90)
INTRODUCTION
The National Obesity Forum (NOF) is delighted
and encouraged by recent activity and reports including the Health
Select Committee report and the Public Health White Paper, surrounding
the issue of obesity. The NOF believes that these documents are
practical, well-directed and hard-hitting, and noted particularly
that treatment of obesity, which we see as vital alongside preventative
measures, is given full acknowledgement. However we believe that
the reports will stand or fall based on the action which is now
taken to implement them. The NOF is embarking on an ambitious
initiative to set up a Nationwide network of Regional Obesity
Groups to engage with and support PCTs and Primary Care in order
to actively improve the management of obesity and its related
disorders in the UK. In this brief submission the NOF would like
to outline this scheme, and provide further details of current
NOF activity. The NOF put a proposal to the Department of Health
for funding of its Regional Obesity Group scheme six months ago,
was promised a meeting, but has yet to be granted one. However
the scheme presented below fulfills a large part of Recommendations
38, 39, 40, 41 and 42 of the Government Response to the Health
Select Committee's Report on Obesity.
REGIONAL OBESITY
GROUPS
— During 2005, NOF will create a series
of 18 Regional Obesity Groups to cover England, Scotland and Wales.
This is intended to be in collaboration with Pharmacy groups,
DOM-UK, Foundations, Move4Health, Nursing groups and others, and
is currently in discussions with commercial slimming clinics with
a view to possible partnership. Pilot groups have been created
and are now running in the West Midlands and South-East England.
In addition to acting as a focal point for information, education
and advice on obesity, and being a first-contact point for Primary
Care Professionals, PCT's and media. The work of the groups is
summarized by a five point plan:
— The formation of Regional Obesity
Groups comprising local motivated inspirational individuals, mirroring
the NOF Executive Board—GP, nurse, pharmacist, dietitian,
PCT lead, Secondary Care consultant.
— A "scope-ing" exercise
to map a provision of obesity management in each area. This is
work in progress and includes elements such as current weight
management clinics, individual examples of Best Practice in Primary
Care, successful action against obesity at PCT and SHA level,
specifically PCT strategies as well as commercial slimming clubs,
exercise and activity schemes, availability of Dietitian services
and other nutrition-based schemes eg supermarket store tours,
school education schemes. The formation of a database of PCT and
SHA activity around obesity.
— Identifying and assessing gaps
in the provision of obesity care; PCTs with no workable strategy
or who need assistance in formulating one; GPs and nurses who
are motivated but lack the skills to provide effective care or
set up weight management clinics. There may be a large ethnic
population in a particular area with no provision of care or awareness
of the increased risk; or there may be inadequate provision of
support for Breast-Feeding in a region.
— To look within other parts of
the region and within the network as a whole to find the solution
of information required. This is likely to be that a PCT needs
an effective strategy for obesity-management but does not have
one, whereas a PCT in a different area would be willing to share
information. A PCT may have a good strategy for obesity management
but not have an adequate model of obesity management to suit its
needs in a particular field. Help may be required to set up a
weight management clinic in a practice or to supply a course to
educate GPs and nurses on the effective care of obese patients.
— To act to correct the deficiency
in provision of care by supplying the necessary skills, resources
or toolkit material to fulfill the needs identified above. To
help PCTs formulate obesity management strategies or provide evidence
based models of obesity management to them; to provide educational
materials or courses; to make effective use of models already
in existence, and to encourage collaboration between pharmacies,
GPs and commercial clinics. We are in the final stages of creating
a "toolkit" or template for PCTs for formulating an
effective and appropriate, workable local obesity strategy, which
will also include summaries of recent Government reports, and
the relevant sections of NSF's, NICE appraisals, algorithms of
treatment, and a glossary/dictionary of Obesity for GP's and patients
to help them understand different diets, food labeling etc.
— This five point plan fits within
the range of additional NOF ambitions, which include the establishment
of an accredited Obesity Management course in association with
DOM-UK, regular Regional Obesity Conferences and involvement in
the foundation of an "Obesity Institute" to act as an
over-arching body comprising all the major stakeholders in the
fight against the current obesity epidemic.
— Since its foundation four years ago,
the National Obesity Forum (NOF) has aimed to increase awareness
of obesity as a medical condition, improve its management and
highlight obesity as an underlying factor in conditions such as
Type II Diabetes and Coronary Heart Disease. The NOF has had a
significant effect on the management and prevention of obesity
in the UK by providing education, guidelines and support to Primary
and Secondary Care in many and varied forms as well as raising
the profile of obesity and related conditions to Government, opinion-formers,
media and the general public.
— The NOF is delighted to read that
the GMS contract is likely to include obesity to a greater extent
after its first re-draft. We are currently in consultation with
the architects of the contract, as we feel our input as full-time
primary care professionals with expertise in obesity and related
conditions is essential to this process.
— The NOF is well-placed to take positive,
rapid and effective action to influence the medical profession
and general public by improving the provision of care within Primary
and Secondary Care.
— The NOF is already undertaking specific
projects to improve individual health. Examples include the "Men's
Weight Project" in collaboration with the Men's Health Forum
to assess and manage weight and subsequent health problems by
intervention in the workplace; and with Foundations Charity to
improve nutrition and lifestyle education in schools to prevent
both obesity and eating disorders.
NOF VIEWS
— NOF considers there are two equally
important aspects of obesity management—prevention and treatment.
If preventative measures to tackle obesity are successful, within
10 years we will still see an epidemic of Type II diabetes. Within
another four years this will be followed by an epidemic of heart
disease as co-morbidities become clinically evident in chronically
obese people; followed by early death.
— This is why the NOF believes that
the treatment of obesity should be supported by the Department
of Health, and why the NOF is in a position to act as a vehicle
with collaboration from other organisations, to take immediate
action.
January 2005
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