Barking and Dagenham Council's Health Scrutiny Committee has reviewed the early impact of a new healthy weight commissioning model, which aims to address the borough's unprecedented obesity crisis
by shifting from traditional, individual-focused programmes to a community-led, whole-population approach. The new strategy, developed in partnership with DDM Health Ltd, moves away from short-term fixes towards a long-term, sustainable model. Extensive stakeholder and resident engagement has identified key themes including the need for a single, trusted access point for healthy lifestyle support, practical food education that considers budgets and cultures, and accessible, safe, and local physical activity opportunities.
The early impact of the new model is being measured by collecting data on reach, user experience, outcomes, and importantly, the costs of pilot initiatives. These pilots are designed to support those at high risk of obesity, with one initiative involving collaboration with the social prescribing team and community navigators to offer support to individuals with a particular BMI.
Councillor Chris Rice highlighted the urgency of establishing a central referral point for weight management services, noting the loss of weight management services in the borough.
The new strategy acknowledges this gap and aims to offer a much wider proportion of people something that's really meaningful, not a quick fix or 12-week programme that actually didn't work for the vast majority of people.
This central hub is expected to take approximately six months to develop, with a broader plan involving three phases: establishing pilots, learning from them, and then scaling them out longer term.
The planned 'single, trusted access point' for healthy lifestyle support will function as a 'single front door of access'. This will be supported through a combination of a digital hub, printed materials, training for community navigators, and ensuring consistent messaging across all platforms. This approach aims to provide accessible information and support, moving beyond the limitations of previous, decommissioned services.
Regarding the healthy weight strategy, Councillor Irma Freeborn raised concerns about food skills and the differentiation between food and processed foods, particularly for younger generations. The response indicated that pilots will focus on practical food skills and working with neighbourhood networks and youth ambassadors. Specifically, pilots will concentrate on practical food skills, understanding about different food ingredients that they'll be able to use.
The strategy aims to gather insights from specific communities and groups to tailor the approach, potentially including cooking classes for families.
One pilot will involve working with an established neighbourhood network that already engages with young people and has youth ambassadors. The aim is to train these young people to become involved in delivering the programme in the long run.
The discussion also touched upon the role of new weight-loss drugs, with a BMJ survey indicating that individuals on these medications were four times more likely to regain weight without support. This underscores the importance of the new approach, which is designed to be a long-term initiative integrating psychological aspects of weight management. Clinical psychologists and dietitians are involved in the teams to address factors such as emotional eating and sleep, which are crucial for overall lifestyle.
Councillor Paul Robinson inquired about learning from work undertaken with Barnet Council, given Barking and Dagenham's higher child obesity rates. Strategies employed in Barnet, including extensive outreach and digital engagement, were noted as potentially transferable to the borough's efforts.
Public reports pack Wednesday 04-Feb-2026 19.00 Health Scrutiny Committee
