Slimming World takes obesity to the heart of Westminster

The UK’s largest group-based weight-loss organisation Slimming World hosted a roundtable event and Parliamentary Reception at the Houses of Parliament.

Throughout the day MPs, Peers, health professionals and other industry experts came together to debate ways in which the obesity epidemic can be effectively tackled, and how help can be provided to the millions of people it already affects.

The roundtable event included discussions on body image and self-esteem, how health professionals can sensitively raise the issue of weight with their patients, and why it is vitally important to do so, and who should be responsible for commissioning weight management services. Participants included representatives from the Royal College of General Practitioners, Public Health England, the Royal College of Nursing and the Local Government Association, and expert psychologist Dr Linda Papadopoulos.

The roundtable event was then followed by a Parliamentary Reception hosted by The Baroness Floella Benjamin OBE. Andrew Selous MP, co-chair of the All Party Group on Obesity and member of the Health Select Committee, also spoke at the event and was joined on the platform by two Slimming World members. Jodie Rigby-Mee, who has maintained her weight loss of 6st for more than a decade, and Charlotte Randall, who lost 4st 10lbs to become Slimming World’s Young Slimmer of the Year, talked about their own weight-loss journeys to raise awareness of the help and support available for those living with obesity.

Jenny Caven, Director of External Affairs at Slimming World, says: “Obesity is a serious public health epidemic which threatens to overwhelm our health service. We feel it's vitally important to engage MPs and politicians in the work we undertake and the support we offer to helping people lead healthier lives. Every week we support and encourage nearly a million members to lose weight through a nutritious and balanced diet, in groups, directly in their communities, and online.

"As a nation, with an ever increasing obesity crisis, we need action and strong leadership in this area. We need to improve the care and support overweight people receive, treating them with respect, empathy and compassion.

“Working with Westminster we aimed to help develop a better understanding of a range of issues and encourage collaboration and partnership in finding solutions and raise awareness of the larger role Slimming World is playing.

“The roundtable event bought experts together with our real members who shared their weight-loss journeys, highlighting the success they’ve had following the weight-loss programme and developing new healthy lifestyles. They spoke passionately about their daily challenges: facing a range of issues, such as living with obesity at a young age, living with a variety of health conditions directly associated with being overweight, and maintaining a healthy weight during pregnancy.”

The roundtable discussions concluded with calls to action that Slimming World would like to see developed and taken further. The group discussing body image and self-esteem looked at the relationship between body image and identity and said that this relationship is different for today’s young people. They called on government to equip people in a child’s life to speak the language of both mental health and obesity, but also the language of how the two meet.

The roundtable debating how health professionals can sensitively raise the issue of weight with their patients called on politicians and policy makers to support a strategy that would see the call for all health professionals to receive training to confidently and empathetically raise the issue of weight and health with patients and signpost to effective support.

It was agreed by the roundtable commenting on who should be responsible for commissioning weight management services that NHS England and Public Health England together are the best placed organisations to provide a voice and the consistent approach that is necessary to deliver effective weight management programmes. The group also called for a Minister for Obesity, saying it would be a powerful tool to address the issues in a cohesive way.

By raising these calls to action Slimming World aims to support even more people throughout the UK living with obesity by helping them to lose weight, improve health outcomes and achieve their dreams.