Leeds Met Carnegie Weight Management

Information for PCTs

Obesity is the most common disease amongst British children but is often overlooked by society as being a self-inflicted condition. Despite this the physical, psychological and social health costs of this disease are high. The financial consequences for the National Health Service (NHS) and for the economy in the United Kingdom are estimated to be at least £1/2 billion a year in treatment costs to the NHS, and possibly in excess of £2 billion to the wider economy according to the National Audit Office. Reports show a prevalence of overweight or obesity in children to be one in three. Of greater concern however is the trebling of childhood obesity in the last 15 years.

Although the need for appropriate treatment of childhood obesity is well acknowledged, recent attempts at tackling this problem have been limited, with many being detrimental to children’s physical and psychological development. It is our view that the limited success of most weight loss programmes for children is in part due to their poor design and lack of investment.

For Carnegie Clubs to be feasible, sustainable, and allow for future growth, it is imperative that the structure of the programme is developed with the needs and procedures of the PCT and the community in mind. PCT funded Clubs offer families the opportunity to be referred to a safe, fun, clinically proven, financially and geographically accessible programme. PCTs will benefit by gaining qualified weight management specialists, a comprehensive proven treatment model and year round support/training from Carnegie Weight Management team which in turn will enable their organisation to offer a sustainable weight management programme for children in their service area.

For more information on starting a PCT-funded Carnegie Club please email us on CarnegieWeightManagement@leedsmet.ac.uk or phone 0113 812 5233.