The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
More than 150 serious illnesses will be prevented and up to five lives saved if weight loss support programmes are rolled out in Lincolnshire, it has been suggested.
South Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) told The Voice estimates are that £805,000 would be saved in reduced reliance on healthcare services relating to those individuals.
The estimates were given as the CCG confirmed it is still considering measures to block severely obese people from certain surgeries and medical interventions, but weight-loss support is being considered in tandem. Details of which surgeries are yet to be confirmed.
Programmes to support both children and adults to be a healthy weight are being drawn up for the county.
In a written response to The Voice, South Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) said there is an aim to “explore changes to thresholds for planned medical and surgical interventions.”
Adding: “This places a duty of care to support patients to lose weight, through a combination of weight management and lifestyle support services.”
The response said: “Locally, a series of health improvement interventions have demonstrated the ability to successfully support adults in the community to lose weight and maintain a healthier weight for up to 12 months.
“The scale of this local demand is known, with 8,000 to 12,000 obese adults a year having been engaged with previously.”
Estimates suggest the impact on the scale of reduction in diseases and premature deaths that weight management services and lifestyle support programmes for those at the lower end of the obesity spectrum would have. The CCG supplied figures, said estimates are there would be five saved lives, 137 less cases of diabetes, 18 of coronary heart disease, five less strokes and five less cancers.
The CCG response said: “Local research has demonstrated reduced prescribing rates and less GP attendances from participants who successfully complete programmes, as well as improved health and well-being scores.”
During the early stages of the Lincolnshire Sustainability and Transformation Plan, a “local healthy weight in childhood plan will be agreed.”
It is intentioned to promote a healthy lifestyle, including healthy eating and physical activity; raise awareness of obesity; implement a “life course approach” to reduce childhood obesity and establish evidence based interventions commissioned and delivered by both NHS and local authority providers.
The plan will have the objective to reduce the rates of overweight and obese children by 2020.
Childhood obesity is a national issue. In Lincolnshire, 22 per cent of 4-5 year olds and 33 per cent of 10-11 year olds are reported to be overweight or obese.
Adult activity rates are lower in South Holland than anywhere else in the county at 49.2 per cent and levels of obese adults in the district (70 per cent) are among the highest rates in the East Midlands, as reported in The Voice last week.
