Obesity service called ‘fat lot of good’ claims clients shed 10 tons

The Rotherham Institute of Obesity (RIO) opened in 2009 as part of an NHS-led project which doctors hoped would address the borough’s ballooning weight problem.

Department of Health figures show that two-thirds of adults in Rotherham are overweight or obese, and RIO staff offer advice on diet and exercise.

Services are available to those with a body mass index (BMI) of between 30 and 40, which equates to the average 5ft 4in woman weighing between 12st 7lb and 17 stones.

In April, an investigation by the Yorkshire Post revealed that every pound in weight lost by clients had cost the taxpayer £60, leading critics, including local councillors, to dismiss the service as a “heavy burden” on the public purse.

The figures were disputed at the time by clinical manager Dr Matthew Capehorn, who insisted that helping people lose weight actually saved public money in the long run.

At today’s event, Dr Capehorn will be joined by clients and staff at the institute’s headquarters at the Rotherham Health Village for the second anniversary celebrations, which will also include a 10-ton truck.

He will unveil figures which claim that since opening the service has supported 3,556 adults and 331 children to lose over 10 tons of weight – a figure the service said was equivalent to one of the capsules on the London Eye, 10 cars or 1,052,631 pound coins.

RIO bosses also said ahead of the event that patient satisfaction with the service is extremely high, with 97 per cent of patients reporting satisfaction with the service, including 75 per cent who described the service as “excellent”.

Dr Capehorn said: “Ten tons of weight loss is an incredible achievement and we are very proud to be leading the way in tackling the growing obesity problem.

“This isn’t an issue that can be cured overnight; it involves changing behaviours and lifestyles and will take several years before a significant impact will be visible in the population.”

According to figures released by RIO staff, 96 per cent of patients who have completed the six month weight loss programme lost weight and 71 per cent of adults and 72 per cent of children met or did better than NHS Rotherham weight loss targets.

Staff said this helped to reduce the anticipated numbers of patients expected to be referred for weight loss surgery by 50 per cent.

The average adult weight loss was over 8.3kg (18.3lb).

RIO provides specialist support for overweight and obese adults and children who have been referred by their GP or other healthcare professional. On-site facilities include a gym, resource centre and a kitchen to provide educational cooking classes.

The institute said a “team approach” is taken to weight loss by providing a wealth of specialists including obesity specialist nurses, specialist dietitians, talking therapists, an exercise therapist and a general practitioner with a specialist interest in obesity.

RIO is the first service in the country to offer this fully comprehensive, multi-disciplinary team approach within primary care and the first to routinely screen all obese diabetic patients for Obstructive Sleep Apnoea, a potentially fatal and currently under-diagnosed condition.

Patients who are worried about their weight should visit their GP to be referred into RIO or any of the other services. Services are free and are available to people registered with a Rotherham GP.

Dr Capehorn added: “By providing good advice, intervention and treatment we hope to raise awareness and understanding of the health dangers associated with obesity and engage the public with our Weight Management Strategy.”