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Healthy weight and obesity

It can be tough to make changes but with support you can take control of your weight and improve your health.

Why your weight matters

Obesity is a serious health concern that increases the risk of many other health conditions, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, joint problems, mental health problems, and some cancers.

Where to get support

There are lots of resources available online, and if you are concerned about your weight please speak with your GP.

Better health - NHS lose weight

Get active - NHS Better health

Healthier families - NHS - easy ways to eat well and move more

Obesity UK

NHS digital weight management programme - 12 week programme 

Weight loss medication

For people who have a serious health need, based on body mass index (BMI) and having at least one obesity-related health problem medication may be available. 

Programme for Healthy Weight and Treating Obesity

This programme explores a system-wide approach to help people live healthier lives, addressing obesity beyond diet and exercise, and reducing its impact on the NHS.

About this programme...

The NHS spends around £6 billion a year on obesity-related illnesses, with 30,000 deaths annually. It is one of the most serious health challenges we face.

It is not simply a matter of modifying food and exercise behaviours; obesity is a major healthcare condition. It is becoming recognised as a ‘chronic, recurrent metabolic disease’, affecting a person's physical, mental, social, and financial wellbeing.

Impacts of obesity

North East North Cumbria Healthy Weight & Treating Obesity clinical lead Dr Arut and strategic manager Will Smith openly discuss the impacts of obesity and the ways we in the North East & North Cumbria are aiming to improve health outcomes

Useful information and resources

  • We use data and intelligence to understand the needs of the population in relation to healthier weight in the context of both prevention and treatment.
  • We promote and implement the existing research in healthier weight in the context of both prevention and treatment.
  • We contribute to the evidence base by evaluating local approaches and interventions that support action to treat obesity in the NHS, including primary and secondary care.
  • We facilitate NHS engagement in place based whole system approaches to obesity supporting collaboration with the local authority, community and voluntary sector and other partners
  • We identify opportunities to create and support pathways for primary prevention and treating obesity within and between the NHS and public health commissioned community services, and other community and voluntary sector provision
  • Addressing inequalities at the heart of the approach and support achievement of the NHSE/I 5 strategic objectives to reduce health inequalities and the Core20Plus5 agenda

Obesity is one of the major healthcare conditions, needing a lot of support from everyone.

Obesity is increasingly getting recognised as a ‘Chronic, recurrent metabolic disease’, affecting a person's physical, mental, social, and financial wellbeing.

People with Obesity, usually have multiple other physical problems like type 2 diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnoea, lipid abnormalities, osteoarthritis, mental health problems, mobility related problems and increased incidence of cancer.

There is increasing evidence that, when people get help to lose weight, many of these conditions improve, and their quality of life improves.

However, there is a stigma attached to people with weight related problems, who are made to feel that it is their own fault, and this stigma limits them asking for help.  

There needs to be a balance created between the concerns associated with medicalising this condition fully and recognising obesity as a disease.

A paradigm shift is absolutely needed in the way the healthcare professionals and the common people approach obesity, in removing this stigma, and a whole system approach should be developed to prevent obesity and treat obesity related problems.

Our Integrated Care System has created a separate workstream to make a journey towards achieving this whole system approach and develop appropriate pathways at all tiers of care for patients with weight related problems.

We invite everyone to join the journey of championing for getting the appropriate help to people with weight related problems.

  • Primary Care
  • Secondary Care
  • Tertiary Care
  • NE Applied Collaborative Centre (ARC)
  • Regional Clinical Networks
  • Local Authorities
  • Office of Health Improvement & Disparities (OHID)
  • Drummond Central

  • We help support and promote the NHS Digital Weight Management- NHS England » The NHS Digital Weight Management Programme - View the Digital weight management programme here. You can also view their video here.
  • Recovery and expansion of Specialist Weight Management Services
  • Developed Minimum Standards for Specialist Weight Management Services
  • Working on funding proposal for regional and national funding to support Healthy Weight and Treating Obesity services
  • Developing the CYP workstream
  • Working with Drummond Central on a behavioural Insights project for more information see here.

Healthy Weight Coach – supporting people with living with overweight or obesity to help them make positive changes to their health, see here.

NHS digital weight management programme healthcare professional toolkit here.

Healthy weight and treating obesity healthcare needs assessment here.

Children and young people healthy weight and treating obesity healthcare needs assessment here.