Help us improve the adult weight management pathway in South East London

The obesity rate in south east London is high, with 56% of adult residents carrying excess weight. This can mean our current weight management system, which provides different tiers of care depending on a patient’s needs - ranging from lifestyle management all the way to surgery - is not always able to provide the right care in a timely manner. The result is growing waiting lists, duplication of referrals, unequal access to services, and delays in patients receiving the care they need.

In response, King’s Health Partners and South East London Integrated Care System have partnered with All About Obesity to ensure the voice of those living with obesity is heard and plays a part in shaping the redesign of the adult weight management pathways in south east London.

We’re working with our partners and patients to improve services and create a system that meets the needs of our residents and workforce, delivering better and more equitable health outcomes for our diverse communities.

Engaging with residents

We created an overweight and obesity expert lived experience reference group which aims to:

• Bring together residents from across south east London living with overweight or obesity to share their experiences.
• Empower members to have their voices heard through training and support.
• Attend workshops to actively participate and share personal experiences.

Earlier this year, we held two workshops which brought together health professionals, representatives from six local authorities, and residents to improve weight management services and ensure people are better able to access the care they need. Click on the image below to learn more.

Next steps

We’ve now published summary reports from our workshops, capturing the key themes and suggestions that emerged from discussions between patients, health professionals and representatives from local authorities.

Participants shared feedback to help shape a more consistent and personalised referral and triage process for weight management services, informed by lived experience and best practice. They also explored how care could be better integrated in community settings, with a strong emphasis on prevention, early support, and more personalised care.

This feedback has been used to inform the wider review of the care pathway, which includes recommendations for how weight management services could be improved and developed over the coming years.

Read our report to learn more.

Thank you to everyone who took part - your insights and experiences have been invaluable to understand the needs of our south east London population.

We'll continue to engage with our lived experience group over the coming months as the project progresses.