Decision Maker: Director of Public Health
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Is Key decision?: No
Is subject to call in?: No
The impact of covid-19 has highlighted a
number of health inequalities across England as referenced in the
Build Back Fairer Covid-19 Marmot review (2021) and has also
exacerbated the obesity rates in our borough. As part of
PHE’s national recovery plan for obesity, local authorities
have been allocated funding to provide services to support the
obesity recovery including the funds to support Tier 2 weight
management services . As we de-commissioned our Tier 2 weight
management service for adults in 2016 we are proposing to use the
funds to set up a community based pilot using an existing weight
management provider and in-house teams to develop a service for
those individuals with a BMI > 30 until 31st March 2022 due to
the tight timescale and covid-19 implications. The decision was
made not to tender due to the timescale and the fact that we want
to join up our current Tier 3 /Tier 4 weight management services to
extend the weight management offer , to keep it local and also to
use it as a pilot to test potential demand and uptake.
Details of the proposed service are available on request and the
programme (Be Well, Feel Good) will be live in autumn 2021.
Referrals into the service will be via primary care and self
-referral. A communications plan will be developed prior to
mobilisation by the provider.
A Rule 16 Urgent Decision was approved on 23rd
April 2021 by Mayor Ros Jones to accept the grant allocation from
Public Health England (PHE) for £329, 546 for the
commissioning of a new Tier 2 weight management service (adults) as
part of the covid-19 recovery planning. £255k will be
allocated to the commissioning of the service and the remainder
£74,546 will be used in house to recruit a Be well coach post
to support the programme and infrastructure and provide a food
education/peer support element as part of the food poverty
work.
ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED AND
REJECTED
A number of options were considered in view of the tight timescale
and the fact we don’t not have a Tier 2 service
currently:
a. Approach current weight management services provider of Tier 3
and Tier 4 weight management services and discuss options of an
extension to the service – considered, discussed and agreed
this is the preferred option
b. Approach other potential providers – rejected as would go
to tender if not option a
c. Go out to procurement – rejected due to timescale and
discussions with procurement and legal about feasibility; agreement
that need to link up services with existing provider
d. Take up the offer of a dynamic purchasing system from PHE
– rejected as only just set up in July and not been
accessible; would be national suppliers and not familiar with
local model and infrastructure. Procurement/legal advice was to
explore option a and option c if not feasible. The dynamic
purchasing system was the last option.
Publication date: 14/10/2021
Date of decision: 28/07/2021
Accompanying Documents: