§ Lord Morris of Manchesterasked Her Majesty's Government:
What action has been taken or is planned to address the areas of National Health Service provision for the management of overweight and obese patients that were identified as patchy in the recent National Audit Office report Tackling Obesity in England. [HL1414]
§ Lord Hunt of Kings HeathThe NHS Plan and the National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease (launched after the National Audit Office survey) set standards for health authorities in partnership with local authorities, primary care teams and NHS trusts for the development and delivery of effective policies for reducing overweight and obesity, promoting healthy eating and increasing physical activity.
The NHS Priorities and Planning Framework for 2003–06 sets a target requiring practice-based registers 142WA and systematic treatment regimes for patients at high risk of coronary heart disease, which includes those with a body mass index greater than 30.
It is up to primary care trusts as local providers and commissioners of services to determine the most appropriate methods to deliver healthcare to their populations, based on clinical need and effectiveness, as well as local circumstance, drawing on the available evidence. The Health Development Agency is providing a report setting out the evidence base for the prevention and treatment of overweight and obesity, and the maintenance of weight loss.