Weight Management

One You Plymouth

One You Plymouth offer advice and support to help people to improve their diet and achieve a healthy weight via a face to face, telephone as well as virtual appointments through the Livewell Connect App.

These sessions run across 12 weeks, to suit your goals and is a pick and mix programme that puts you in control.

Access to this service is for people who are registered with a Plymouth GP practice.

More information: www.oneyouplymouth.co.uk

Your Health Torbay

Your Health Torbay offers nutritional and fitness advice according to individual needs. The service offers personalised support which is decided following an initial one to one assessment.

Access to this service is for people who are registered with a Torbay GP practice.

More information: www.yourhealthtorbay.co.uk

Specialist Weight Management Services

Specialist weight management services support people to lose weight in a safe way through structured lifestyle education programmes delivered by dieticians, psychologists, and physiotherapists.

People are offered up to 12-months weight management support to encourage long term behaviour change. Once you have been discharged from the service, you cannot access the same service for two years.

Access to these services is via GP referral only, however demand for these services is currently high with long waiting lists. A review of all weight management services is currently underway across Devon to address this, including a review of waiting lists. A Frequently Asked Questions document is available here  about this waiting list review.

Bariatric Surgery

If you have struggled with your weight for a long time and/or tried different ways to lose weight, bariatric surgery is an option to help with weight loss.

Bariatric surgery is a treatment option for people who are severely overweight. In the UK the three most common types of surgery are:

1. A gastric band

2. A sleeve gastrectomy

3. A gastric bypass

You cannot be referred for bariatric surgery by your GP. Referrals for NHS bariatric surgery is via Specialist Weight Management Services only.

Tirzepatide, also known as Mounjaro, is a weight loss drug that has recently been recommended as a treatment option for managing overweight and obesity alongside a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity in adults.

It is now in place for GPs in Devon to prescribe tirzepatide for weight loss. This is being strictly prioritised to people with the highest clinical need.

Please avoid contacting your GP for tirzepatide, they will contact eligible patients to invite them into the surgery to discuss options in due course.

If you are eligible to be prescribed tirzepatide for weight management you will be required to attend a 9-month Healthier You: Behavioural Support for Obesity Prescribing Programme, which provides support in nutrition, physical activity, and psychology to build lasting healthy habits.

If you do not meet the eligibility criteria at this current time, this is due to access being limited by the national phased implementation to ensure the service is delivered safely and that the NHS in England can plan for an increase in the numbers of people who can access it, while building the skills and knowledge within the healthcare workforce. The criteria will be gradually extended over the next few years with updates available via this page.

For the first three years the criteria for being prescribed Tirzepatide is:

The weight related health conditions are:

• Type 2 diabetes – A condition which causes too much sugar in the blood.
• High blood pressure and on medication to treat this – When the force of your blood pushing against the walls of your blood vessels is too high.
• Dyslipidemia – When your blood lipids (like cholesterol) are not in the right balance.
• Obstructive sleep apnoea and on treatment for this – When your breathing stops and starts while you are sleeping.
• Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease – Where your arteries become narrowed, making it difficult for blood to flow through them. This may lead to a heart attack or angina, a stroke, heart failure or poor circulation to the legs also known as (peripheral vascular disease).

Further information and services to support with weight management can be found here.

Private Tirzepatide Treatment and the NHS

If someone has been paying for tirzepatide for weight management, the NHS will only take over their treatment if they are assessed by a Devon NHS weight management service and they meet the NHS criteria for tirzepatide at that time. If they don’t meet the NHS criteria, this will be clearly explained to them. We recognise this may be disappointing for some people.

Stopping tirzepatide doesn’t usually cause withdrawal symptoms. However, to help prevent weight from coming back, people should try to keep to a lower-calorie diet and stay physically active where possible.

If someone comes to the NHS with questions about a tirzepatide prescription they got privately, including how to stop or reduce it, they are advised to speak to the private provider who prescribed it.

Pre-diabetes is where your blood sugars are higher than usual, but not high enough for you to be diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes yet.

If you are risk of or have been diagnosed with pre-diabetes you can access a programme to be aware of the signs of symptoms of diabetes to help reduce the risks of developing it.

Healthier You NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme

This service is for people who have been identified as being at risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes.

The service provides a nine-month lifestyle change programme, delivered across Devon, aiming to help prevent diabetes through healthier eating, physical activity, problem solving, stress reduction and coping skills.

Access to this service is via GP referral only. If you are interested in joining this programme discuss this with your GP to find out whether it is suitable for you.

Type 2 diabetes is a condition which causes too much sugar in the blood. It is a serious condition and if not managed correctly it can cause various health problems.

There are programmes that you can access to help you to achieve weight loss to put your diabetes into remission or to manage your weight to improve your health.

Type 2 Diabetes Path to Remission Programme

This programme provides low calorie, total diet replacement treatment for people who are living with type 2 diabetes.

People are offered 12 weeks of total diet replacement followed by reintroduction of food, ongoing education and one to one behaviour change support.

Access to this service is by GP referral only. If you are interested in joining this programme discuss this with your GP to find out whether it is suitable for you.

NHS Digital Weight Management Programme

This national programme supports adults living with obesity who also have a diagnosis of diabetes, hypertension, or both, to manage their weight and improve their health.

It is a 12-week online behavioural and lifestyle programme that people can access using a smartphone or computer with internet access.

Access to this service is via GP or pharmacy referral only. If you are interested in joining this programme discuss this with your GP to find out whether it is suitable for you.

More information: http://www.england.nhs.uk/digital-weight-management