Obese
Dr Susan Jebb, a leading nutritionist for the Medical Research Council, said yesterday that the NHS would be better off sending obese patients to weight-loss schemes rather than offer them NHS help because they are more effective and cost less.
The Medical Research Council conducted a one-year survey in Northampton were half of obese patients were sent on a commercial weight loss programme and the other half received GP-led care. This involved advice about a healthy diet and scheduled weigh-ins with a nurse.
At the end of the year the group on the weight-loss scheme had lost twice as much (15lbs on average) compared to the GP-led group (6lbs).
The National Obesity Forum commented that GPs were by definition generalists but weight-loss programmes were ’consultants’ in their field and buying in services could benefit NHS patients and prove cost-effective.
"All About Weight is focused on ’lifestyle nutrition’, promoting the right attitudes towards food and lifestyle," said Alison Wetton, MD of All About Weight, "and would be ideal for inclusion on this sort of scheme."
All About Weight is the fastest growing weight loss programme in Britain gaining over 30,000 customers in its first three years of trading. It is the only programme which mixes healthy food choices with specially prepared ’Mealpaks’.
"The most important aspect is to change people’s mental attitude to weight loss," said Mrs Wetton. "You can’t change what is on the outside without changing what is on the inside."
Dr Jebb said: "Losing four to five kilograms can halve a person’s diabetes risk if they are overweight, so even a little can be beneficial.
"We know a lot of people are overweight and need to lose weight. The challenge is how you do it.
"In the NHS we do not have the resources for a massive weight management programme. But this scheme would be cost effective."
Tagged in NHS