New clinics aim to reduce obesity rates among children and young people

Ten specialist obesity clinics for children and young people are set to open across England under new plans to tackle the obesity crisis.

The expansion of obesity clinics (which will take the total number to 30) comes after new research found that hospital admissions of obese young people aged 17 and under has nearly tripled in a decade, rising from 3,370 in 2011/12 to 9,431 in 2021/22.

Reducing the incidence of obesity-related illnesses

The new services will provide support for children and their families to lose weight, as well as providing treatment for the complications of obesity.

Patients being treated at the new clinics will get access to specialist NHS doctors, nurses, psychologists, social workers and dietitians, who will assess their complications and deliver tailored care packages developed together with the family, including diet plans, mental health care and coaching.

In addition to providing treatment, the clinics will also work at identifying the factors which cause obesity in children and young people by considering their mental wellbeing alongside their physical health.

The NHS hopes this will bring down rates of obesity and prevent thousands of children from going on to develop obesity-related conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart attacks and strokes.

The plan is backed by £18 million of funding and is expected to help more than 2,000 obese children and young people to lose weight safely and effectively.

Speaking at the annual NHS Confed Expo conference in Manchester, NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard said: “Obesity can lead to a string of serious illnesses such as cancer and diabetes – bringing a terrible human cost, and also a real pressure on the NHS.

“Doing nothing now is not an option and so these new clinics, will bring together a range of experts in one place providing intensive – but sensitive – physical and mental support for thousands of young people and their families.”

Providing mental health support alongside weight loss advice

One young person who has benefited from support offered by an NHS obesity clinic is Nicky from Merseyside.

Nicky has been receiving support from the clinic since she was 16 years old. Nicky says she has always struggled with her weight and felt self-conscious, fed up and restricted with what she could do, and the clinics helped to improve both her physical and mental health.

Working with the specialists at the clinic, Nicky was given realistic weight loss goals as well as support from a clinical psychologist.

Nicky said: “I’ve had such a positive experience with the CEW clinic. They have helped me with both my mental and physical health and were really non-judgemental.

“I feel like this approach, prioritising mental health just as much as physical health is really important. I’m 18 now and I’m in a really good place with my weight loss journey. I’m in college and looking forward to the future.”