Sheffield Children’s pilots specialist weight management service

Sheffield Children’s is one of 21 NHS Trusts in England which has been given funding to pilot a specialist weight management service for children and young people living with obesity. 

NHS England have funded Complications from Excess Weight (CEW) Clinics for three years. The service supports children and young people who have health complications related to their weight or who are at extremely high risk of developing complications. 

Complications from Excess Weight (CEW) clinics use a holistic, individual focused approach to ensure the care provided is what works best for the young person and their family. This service is delivered by a multi-disciplinary team who explore the patient’s mental health, physical health and social needs.  

In August 2021 the first members joined the CEW team and since then a wider multidisciplinary team has been created including three Family Support Workers, two Specialist Nurses, a Specialist Dietitian, a Clinical Psychologist, three Consultants collaborating with the SHINE Health Academy. The team are currently offering a fully operational service from two Sheffield locations, Northern General Hospital and the Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre. The aim in 2023 is for services to be offered further afield in Barnsley, Rotherham and Doncaster.

In England, one in three children leaving primary school are overweight or living with obesity. This increased the likelihood of developing serious health conditions such as Type 2 diabetes, liver conditions and early heart disease. It can also lead to breathing difficulties, sleep issues and mental health problems which can impact their quality of life.

However, early action such as the help that the CEW clinic provides can prevent long term health problems and may mean in the future, they need less help from healthcare services. 

Sheffield Children’s partnered with the SHINE Health Academy, a community-based weight management programme that helps young people aged 10 – 17 years not only lose weight but also gain self-esteem and confidence.

Dita Aswani, Consultant Paediatrician specialising in Weight Management said: “Although childhood obesity is a national problem with major environmental factors, we know that South Yorkshire has a higher than average prevalence of children living with overweight and obesity. We have the unique opportunity to partner and collaborate with the Shine Health Academy, so that individual and peer support options are available, for young people and their carers.” 

Currently the service is able to provide care for 100 new young people each year. Dita Aswani said: “Once referred by a GP or local paediatrician, we hope to support children, young people and their families in making positive and sustainable lifestyle changes within their own personal and cultural context. The CEW clinics will focus on holistic health care assessments of both the medical and psychosocial needs of the individual, followed by as much provision as possible offered within homes and communities.” 

The aim is to understand the impact of social and cultural context as well as wider factors on an individual’s current health. This will then feed into an individual’s healthcare plan helping make positive lifestyle choices that can be sustained long-term, minimising and reversing risks and complications, in order to build confidence and resilience for the future. 

In the background, the team have been keeping busy, meeting with many professionals across the city over the last year, receiving encouragement, enthusiasm, offers of support, collaboration, and donation from the Friends of the Children’s Hospital to set up a team app hosting our resources and signposting to endorsed materials.

We’re excited to see the continued positive impact the CEW service has on providing the best possible care for our patients.