Raise awareness of services among health and social care professionals
Local authorities, working with other local service providers, clinical commissioning groups and health and wellbeing boards, should ensure staff in local health services are aware of, and make referrals to, the lifestyle weight management service.
This includes staff working in: GP teams, pharmacies, health visiting, the NHS Health Check programme and services for smoking cessation, fertility or type 2 diabetes.
Clinical commissioning groups, health and wellbeing boards, hospital and community trusts, local authorities, NHS England and Public Health England should ensure health and social care professionals in contact with adults who are overweight or obese are made aware of:
- the local obesity pathway and the local strategic approach to preventing and managing obesity
- the range of local lifestyle weight management services available
- national sources of accurate information and advice, such as NHS Choices and Change4life
- continuing professional development or training opportunities on weight management (see GPs and other health professionals in this pathway).