This year’s category for the NOF’s Primary Care Award for Excellence in Weight Management and Physical Activity was chosen in recognition of the important, and now evidence based role that physical activity plays in weight loss and especially in weight maintenance.

The number and quality of these years’ entries was extremely high and we would like to thank each and every project that took the time to document their project and submit an entry. It was one of the most enjoyable yet difficult tasks to select the finalists as each entry had their merits and the overall standard was extremely high. This is an indication of the breadth and depth of the work that is currently being undertaken to support weight management throughout the UK.

All the winning entries not only used the current evidence of effectiveness (energy reduction and physical activity combined with a behavioural approach) in supporting weight management success, but targeted those interventions to particular target groups who had complex additional barriers to overcome in their journey to losing weight.

There was a common theme that ran through the entries. Not only did they meet the judging criteria of:

• A strong mutli disciplinary team framework a nd user involvement
• Excellent deployment of resources
• Clear patient management guidelines Plus they had to show INNOVATION!

This year there were three winners with one outright/overall winner. You will be able to view specific details of the winner’s pro jects on the NOF website shortly.

Winners

1. SHINE Self Help Independence Nutrition and Exercise

This project has had remarkable success in helping morbidly obese young people (10-16 years) not only to lose weight but to tackle the underlying factors of low self esteem and longer term lifestyle changes. Two young people came to collect their award and spoke movingly of their personal weight loss journey and the difference it had made to their lives.

2. The Healthy Lifestyle Programme at Rampton Hospital

This multi professional project aims to support weight loss in overweight and obese patients with severe mental health disorders within a secure psychiatric hospital setting and has achieved outstanding success in using physical activity as the core o f their interventions.

3. Health Promotion Service and College Road Surgery

This multi agency project demonstrated that the building of innovative partnerships between Health promotion, Primary Care and the community they serve led to considerable long term success in supporting weight loss in Asian women many of whom who have gone on to become volunteers in the programme.

Overall Winner - Kirriemuir Weight Management Programme

This project impressed the judges with their simple, cost effective approach in using all the skills and talents of existing members of the primary care team and showed outstanding commitment and leadership from the lead GP in developing a highly successful and sustainable weight management service for their local population. Their deployment of resources, robust patient management and innovative approach made them very worthy winners.

Karan Thomas
Director for NOF Awards