With over 400 patients on our register with a BMI over 30 kg/m2 we are really keen to offer as much support as we can to help all our patients towards healthier lifestyles to keep them feeling fit and well. Obesity is one of the biggest health crises the country faces.
Almost two-thirds (63%) of adults in England are overweight or living with obesity – and 1 in 3 children leave primary school overweight or obese, with obesity-related illnesses costing the NHS £6 billion a year.
The urgency of tackling the obesity time bomb has been brought to the fore by evidence of the link to an increased risk from COVID-19.Living with excess weight puts people at greater risk of serious illness or death from COVID-19, with risk growing substantially as body mass index (BMI) increases. Nearly 8% of critically ill patients with COVID-19 in intensive care units have been morbidly obese, compared with 2.9% of the general population.
We really want to help keep our patients as well as they can possibly be and we are committed to helping them with weight management problems. Please make an appointment to speak to one of the GPs or a member of our nursing team if you would like support – or we may get in contact with you if we have identified that you may benefit from some weight management support.
Slimming World
Did you know we can refer eligible patients to Slimming World?
To be eligible for the programme, you must be aged 16+ and:
• resident in Cumbria
• be registered to a GP practice in Cumbria
• exhibit a BMI of 28 or over
The programme cannot accept referrals for service users who:
• have an underlying medical cause for obesity, significant comorbidities or complex needs that indicate they would benefit from intensive clinical management rather than a Community Weight Management Programme
• are currently attending a self-funded weight management programme, or have done so in the last three months
• have previously attended a community based weight management programme commissioned by Cumbria County Council (including the 2015-16 pilot provided by Slimming World and others), or have been referred to the National Diabetes Prevention Programme, Healthier You
There is another option for patients with a BMI of 25 or over who would like some support with weight loss .
Get in touch if you would like a referral to OVIVA
You must be ● Aged eighteen years or above ● Registered with a GP practice in Cumbria or a resident in Cumbria ● BMI ≥ 25kg/m² (adjusted to BMI ≥23 for people of Black African, African-Caribbean and Asian origin)
Read more about Oviva
Lose weight – The NHS app!!
If you’re overweight, losing weight has many health benefits.
Making small, simple changes to what and how much you are eating and drinking can really help you lose the pounds.
Click on this link for more information and directions to download the app https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/lose-weight/
Would you like a Chance to Change??
This is the name of the Weight Management programme run at Wigton Hospital.
The Chance to Change is a behavioural change weight management programme.
The service is available for our patients.
If you would like help with losing weight in the New Year (or any other time!) please contact the surgery and ask for a referral to this local service.
We will need up to date height and weight values to calculate your BMI.
Patients need to meet the following criteria:
• BMI ≥30• Not pregnant• Adults (≥18 years)
• Stable diabetes or cardiac condition (if diagnosis present)
• Motivated to change
• Be registered with a GP within the Keswick and Solway ICC
These sessions are seeing patients face to face for weight management support, although numbers attending the group are limited due to managing COVID restrictions.
There may be a wait of a few weeks before your first appointment.
We will be contacting some patients in the coming weeks in association with our weight management service – it may be that you have been identified as being at risk of developing diabetes or because we do not have up to date weight and other information such as a blood pressure check in the last five years ( patients over 40 years). Some patients are eligible for NHS health checks (40-74 years old with no relevant ongoing health condition and no check in the past 5 years).
