I am writing to you in my capacity as the Manager for the Tier 3 Specialist Weight Management Service (The Weigh Ahead) in Southampton. My understanding from the Commissioners is that a decision has been made to withdraw this specialist service for Southampton patients from 1st April 2017.
Our team at Spire hospital have been successfully running this specialist service since 2011, across Southampton. We support patients with very complex co-morbidities to lose weight, and in addition those that are eligible are better prepared for Tier 4 (bariatric surgery).
I attach a recent short report, which has been prepared to illustrate the additional benefits that this specialist service has to patients’ health and wellbeing. To summarise, our specialist service supports patients with much more than weight loss, including significant improvement in other health biomarkers, psychological wellbeing, and physical activity.
As our service has been working with these complex patients since 2011, we are concerned where patients will be signposted, having failed at Tier 2 and without having the opportunity to successfully complete Tier 3, patients will not be able to progress onto Tier 4 (bariatric surgery).
As Health Professionals, highly skilled in obesity management, our service is also a port of call to GPs and other Colleagues across the city, we have provided training and have planned primary care development events for this year.
We believe this specialist service is of a huge benefit not only to Southampton patients but the wider health economy we would welcome the opportunity to meet with you at your earliest convenience to discuss further.
This ePetition ran from 12/01/2017 to 01/04/2017 and has now finished.
One person signed this ePetition.