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Weight management

Weight management and complex obesity in Suffolk (excluding Waveney) and north east Essex – Weight Management and Complex Obesity Service (WMCOS)

GP referrals into WMCOS are open for patients in Suffolk (excluding Waveney) and north east Essex.

An introduction to WMCOS

The ICB has commissioned services to help people access the most suitable support and treatment for their individual weight management and obesity disease needs. Together, these services form the Weight Management and Complex Obesity Service (WMCOS).

This means patients can access support for healthy lifestyle changes and, if needed, specialist care for more complex needs – all accessible through this one service for both local and national programmes.

All referrals go through an assessment process to ensure patients get the right care for their needs. This assessment is undertaken within the WMCOS Single Point of Access.

The WMCOS Single Point of Access is a referral‑management point for all weight‑management and obesity services. It is a digital system directing people to the right support.

It is overseen by Clinical Nurse Specialists at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT).

Why managing your weight is important

Managing weight is important because it can help prevent or improve weight-related complications such as high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.

Having a healthy weight can boost energy, confidence, and overall wellbeing. Getting the right support makes it easier to achieve these benefits.

Overview of support available through WMCOS

Feel Good Suffolk: supports people in Suffolk to make sustainable lifestyle changes that improve their health and wellbeing. It offers tailored advice, group sessions, and access to resources.

Digital Weight Management Programme: a free,12-week programme, and aims to support you to develop healthier eating habits, be more active and lose weight, with structured support available on your smartphone, tablet or computer.

The NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme: focuses on helping people to lose weight, increase their physical activity levels and improve their diet in ways that fit in with their own individual daily routines.

ESNEFT Complex Obesity Service: access, where appropriate, to a multidisciplinary team (clinicians, dietitians, psychologists), specialist dietary advice, obesity management medications (in hospital and community locations) and bariatric surgery.

How to get a referral into WMCOS

If you think you need support or treatment for weight management or obesity disease, your GP can refer you into WMCOS. You can also be referred by a hospital consultant if they advise that your weight is impacting the treatment they are providing.

Once WMCOS receives your referral, clinicians will check if you meet the eligibility criteria and whether you fall into the priority group for treatment. Not everybody referred into WMCOS will receive specialist treatment such as access to obesity management medications and/or bariatric surgery.

Patients with the highest clinical need for treatment are prioritised. This means that patients are not necessarily treated in the order in which they are referred.

Please note: If you have obtained obesity management medication privately, the above process still applies. This ensures all patients have equal access to the service and the treatment it provides.

What to expect following a referral into WMCOS

Once your referral to the WMCOS is received, here’s what happens next:

Patient survey: Patients will receive a survey to complete. This helps the service to understand how their weight and any related complications impact their daily living.

The survey is accessible using the following browsers or it can be posted:

  • Edge
  • Chrome
  • Safari
  • Samsung Internet

Clinical assessment: Eligibility and prioritisation are based on clinical need.

Communication: The patient is informed by the WMCOS about the outcome and next steps, including any treatment or support options.

Eligibility criteria for all the services within WMCOS

Please see below a list of services available within WMCOS and the eligibility criteria you must meet to access each service.

Please note: Patients with the highest clinical need for treatment are prioritised. This means that patients are not necessarily treated in the order in which they are referred.

  • Resident in Suffolk 
  • Aged 18 years and over 
  • Motivated to achieve a healthy weight 
  • Have a BMI between 30* and 40 (see below exception) 

*Individuals from minority ethnic groups or with an existing health condition are eligible for support if they have a BMI between 27.5 and 40. 

  • 18+ years of age
  • BMI equal to or greater than 30

BMI measurement is reduced to 27.5 for people with minority ethnic or mixed ethnic backgrounds

  • Diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and/or high blood pressure
  • Registered with a GP in Suffolk, Colchester or Tendring

Exclusions: moderate or severe frailty, pregnancy, active eating disorder, bariatric surgery within the last two years, or where a weight management programme could pose more risk than benefit.

  • 18+ years of age and medically fit for light to moderate physical activity
  • Blood glucose average over three months (HbA1c) of 42–47.9 mmol/l (or Fasting Plasma Glucose test of 5.5–6.9 mmol/l) within the last 12 months
  • History of gestational diabetes eligible with HbA1c greater than 42 or Fasting Plasma Glucose test greater than 5.5 mmol/l.
  • Registered with a GP in Suffolk, Colchester or Tendring

Exclusions: Type 2 diabetes diagnosis, pregnancy, or any medical reason preventing safe participation. If aged 80+ the benefits must outweigh the risks.

  • 18+ years of age
  • BMI equal to or greater than 30, reduced to 27.5 for people with minority ethnic or mixed ethnic backgrounds, with at least one of the following obesity-related health complications:

type 2 diabetes, type 2 diabetes with complications (e.g. retinopathy, neuropathy, diabetic foot), obstructive sleep apnoea, obesity hypoventilation syndrome, heart failure, ischaemic heart disease, myocardial infarction, stroke, metabolic steatohepatitis, metabolic cirrhosis, infertility (weight loss required for assisted conception in women only where under the care of a fertility service via a consultant-to-consultant referral), obesity-related cancer, pre-diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, peripheral vascular disease, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, chronic kidney disease (stages 3–5), lymphoedema, intracranial hypertension, abdominal wall failure/hernia (BMI-related), surgery preclusion due to BMI >35, asthma, atrial fibrillation, polycystic ovary syndrome, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease and osteoarthritis

  • Must be registered with a GP practice in Suffolk, Colchester or Tendring
  • Patients must meet the eligibility criteria and be prioritised for access to this service.

Exclusions: pregnancy, current eating disorder, severe mental health issues, bariatric surgery in the last five years, or where treatment poses more risk than benefit

Please note that the treatment option offered to each individual patient is a clinical decision determined through an assessment process. The ICB does not have access to your medical records and does not make decisions regarding individual patient treatment plans.

Compliance

WMCOS is compliant with national guidance on weight management and obesity disease. These are the NHS England Interim Commissioning Guidance and the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Technology Appraisals 875 and 1026. These give further information on access and eligibility for obesity management medications.

Weight management in Norfolk and Waveney

How are obesity management medications being offered in Norfolk and Waveney?

Norfolk and Suffolk ICB is currently working to align services in Norfolk and Waveney with those in Suffolk.

We are working to have the new services for weight management and complex obesity up and running as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience as we work towards launching this service across Norfolk and Waveney.

In the meantime, patients in Norfolk and Waveney can continue to access a range of weight management support services including:

Targeted support programmes (which are specific to support particular conditions):

Universal support services available for those not eligible for targeted support programmes above

Specialist weight management services and prescribing of obesity management medications

Tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) prescriptions for managing overweight and obesity are available in line with national eligibility rules via specialist weight management services and some general practices. Semaglutide (Wegovy®) is also available via specialist weight management services.

Currently surgical treatment options for obesity are accessed via out-of-area bariatric centres. We are working towards enabling more local access.

Help, feedback and updates

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