Public Health Warwickshire
The National Child Measurement
Programme in Warwickshire
and
How Families with Overweight or
Obese Children are Supported in
Warwickshire
The Story from 2005.....
•Warwickshire’s School Health Team Weighed and
Measured Reception and Year 6 Children
•Results were sent to Child Health Team
•School Health Team and Child Health Team Capacity
Already Stretched to Capacity
The 2008/09 Story
•Public Health created the Weight Management Lead Post with
support – Now The Obesity Projects Co-ordinator
•Participation targets for NCMP were not met
•Families were receiving feedback letters but limited capacity to
support families
•Child Health and School Health were having capacity issues
The 2008/09 Story Continued....
•During upload of 2008/09 NCMP data, information from the
database was lost – still a mystery!!
A review of the service began:
•To meet targets
•To have robust data collection systems
•To build capacity
•To support families with overweight/obese children using a
whole family approach
•NHS Warwickshire looked at Walsall PCT’s model of best
Practice – they were exceeding their participation targets
•A partnership steering group was set up: Walsall PCT, Child
Health, School Health, Public Health, Walsall PCT
Walsall PCT and Warwickshire’s Challenge
•Warwickshire Public Health team invested time in learning
about Walsall’s model. Walsall gave their time in return –
thank you Sharon and Carolyn!
•Walsall PCT presented at the first steering group meeting
– needed buy in and engagement from school health and
child health leads
CHALLENGE:
Walsall PCT works within a unitary authority –
Warwickshire has 5 boroughs and districts: 7 school health
team bases, 2 child health bases
Service Review and Redesign
Everything done in partnership.....
•Warwickshire’s Obesity Project Co-ordinator and Weight Management
Lead dedicated time to understanding how the 7 school health team
bases worked.
•After 3 years of bidding, funding was allocated to a reducing obesity
programme under the QIPP programme
• A plan to build capacity was developed
•The steering group redesigned the way data was collected using
Walsall’s template
•Coventry University was commissioned to conduct a systematic
Review of weight management interventions
•Childhood and Adult Obesity Training through UCL was commissioned
for health visitors, school nurses, midwives, children centres, other
partners
Achievements Since 2010
•School Health team with Public Health developed job
Descriptions for Family Change 4 Life Advisors
•Advisors were recruited and trained – 1 attached to each
school health team
•Advisors and School Health team trained to use NCMP
data base
•Coventry University was commissioned to evaluate
•IT and ongoing support given by Obesity Projects Coordinator
•Steering Group sustained
•Regular monitoring and review of service continues to
date
SUCCESS!
•Participation rate targets exceeded
•Confidence that data is comprehensive and robust
•770 families accessed the bespoke support service in first year
•9 week family weight management programmes have been com
•2 year evaluation of the above 2 services commissioned
•An ethos of sustained behaviour change, promoting positive mental
well-being and taking a whole family approach has been taken on by
providers and wider partners
•Warwickshire Public Health now commissions Warwickshire
Observatory to provide data collection support and analysis of data
•Health Professionals and wider stakeholders use data analysis to
inform Business, Strategic and Implementation Plans
•Health Professionals and wider stakeholders aware of the importance
of whole family interventions and the need for sustained behaviour
change
Lessons Learnt
•Fully engage partners – health professional and other
•Sensible to have a primary school age children focus in the
first instance – this is where we do have the data!
•Look at evidence and examples of best practice
•Feel assured data collection and analysis is accurate
•Staff support is intensive!
•Constantly and consistently monitor and review
•Ensure robust evaluation
•Huge challenge - lots of hard work invested
• Engaging parents /carers with overweight/obese children
has been difficult
•Cultural shifts in partners and families - a challenge!
THANK YOU
ANY QUESTIONS?
Fran Poole – Health Improvement Performance and
Commisisoining Lead
francine.poole@nhs.net
Carolyn Forman – Obesity Projects Co-ordinator
carolyn.forman@nhs.net
Ellinor Olander – Lead, Physical Activity and Intervention
Team
aa7977@coventry.ac.uk
Obesity Projects Co-ordinator