Thousands achieving weight-loss dreams in Warwickshire
A health improvement programme in Warwickshire is celebrating referring more than 10,000 people on to programmes to help them live healthier lives – and a third of those people are achieving their weight-loss dreams through Slimming World on Referral membership.
Fitter Futures Warwickshire, commissioned by Warwickshire County Council public health, aims to improve the health and wellbeing of people in the county through four key referral services utilising local weight and health management programmes*. Since its launch in 2015, the scheme has helped more than 10,000 patients, and 3,425 of these residents were referred by a health professional through the Slimming World on Referral scheme, available for both young people aged 12-16 and adults aged 16+.
Slimming World on Referral allows health professionals looking for weight-management services to refer patients whose weight is affecting their health to Slimming World groups, offering them free membership, in blocks of 12 weeks. Many of these patients then go on to self-fund after their 12-week membership period is up. Slimming World’s research shows that referral members who attend at least 10 out of 12 sessions could lose more than 5% of their starting weight – a clinically significant amount – at about half the cost of obesity drugs.
We hope the partnership will continue to make a difference to the people of Warwickshire and help even more residents achieve their weight-loss and health dreams. What has been achieved in just a couple of years is brilliant.
To celebrate the achievement, Warwickshire County Council produced a new feature film showcasing some of the 10,000 people referred through the Fitter Futures scheme, including Slimming World Consultant Rebecca Hilliar and member Sharon Baker, who has lost 5st through the programme:
Lou Barlow, Senior Account Manager at Slimming World says: “Obesity is having a serious impact on our health and the health of our children. It affects many aspects of our lives as well as our physical, emotional and psychological wellbeing. We’re delighted to have supported so many people in Warwickshire to lose weight and live more active, healthy and fulfilling lives through Slimming World on Referral and the Fitter Futures scheme. We hope the partnership will continue to make a difference to the people of Warwickshire and help even more residents achieve their weight-loss and health dreams. What has been achieved in just a couple of years is brilliant”
To find out more about Slimming World visit www.slimmingworld.co.uk.
To find out more about Fitter Futures Warwickshire visit: www.fitterfutureswarwickshire.co.uk
Slimming World was founded by Margaret Miles-Bramwell (OBE, FRSA) in 1969. There are now more than 18,000 groups held weekly across the UK and Republic of Ireland via a network of 4,000 community-based Slimming World Consultants, who receive specific training in the role of diet and physical activity in weight management, as well as sophisticated behaviour-change techniques.
Slimming World’s healthy eating plan, Food Optimising, is based on the science of satiety and energy density. Our phased activity programme, Body Magic, eases members into activity until it becomes an intrinsic part of their daily routine. The principles behind Slimming World’s philosophy are based on a deep understanding of the challenges faced by overweight people and a recognition that those who struggle with weight carry a double burden, the weight itself and a burden of guilt and shame about their weight. Slimming World’s programme integrates practical, up-to-date advice with a highly developed support system based on care and compassion, and Consultant training focuses on facilitating behaviour change in a warm and friendly group environment. Consultant training is delivered through the Slimming World Academy. Slimming World also invests in a comprehensive research programme to develop its support for long-term weight management. The group support provided by Slimming World is recognised as effective by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the NHS.
For more information about Slimming World’s approach visit www.slimmingworld.co.uk or call 0344 897 8000.
For the Press Office please email public.relations@slimmingworld.co.uk