Weight management before, during and after pregnancy
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This commissioning guide provides support for the local implementation of NICE guidance through commissioning and is a resource for NHS and other commissioners, managers and professionals who have a direct or indirect role in, and responsibility for, women who are pregnant or who are planning a pregnancy, and mothers who have had a baby in the past 2 years. This includes those working in local authorities and education and the wider public, private, voluntary and community sectors.
- Section 1 makes the case for commissioning for weight management before, during and after pregnancy
- Section 2 specifies service requirements
- Section 3 helps you determine local service levels
- Section 4 explains more about the cost impact of service redesign
- Section 5 helps you ensure corporate and quality assurance
This commissioning guide should be read together with the following NICE guidance:
NICE public health guidance PH27 on weight management before, during and after pregnancy makes recommendations based on strategies and weight-loss programmes that are proven to be effective for the whole population.
Commissioners may also wish to consider other factors that can affect women before, during and after pregnancy, and refer to the following NICE commissioning guides:
- Quitting smoking in pregnancy and following childbirth
- A peer-support programme for women who breastfeed
- Antenatal and postnatal mental health services
- Bariatric surgical service for the treatment of people with severe obesity
NICE guidance provides evidence-based recommendations about effective and cost-effective treatments and interventions to improve outcomes for local populations. Making commissioning decisions based on NICE guidance and accredited information from NHS Evidence can help commissioners ensure that they are using their resources effectively.
Commissioning guides highlight any recommendations supporting cases for disinvestment or decommissioning of services by identifying treatments and interventions that do not add value. This enables commissioners to release resources or generate savings where appropriate.
Implementation of the guidance noted above is the responsibility of local commissioners and/or providers. Commissioners and providers are reminded that it is their responsibility to implement this guidance, in their local context, in light of their duties to avoid unlawful discrimination and to have regard to promoting equality of opportunity. Nothing in the guidance should be interpreted in a way which would be inconsistent with compliance with those duties.
We are keen to improve the commissioning guides in order to better meet the needs of commissioners. Please send us your ideas for future topic-specific guides or other comments.
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March 2011
This page was last updated: 02 March 2012