NHS England has announced plans to re-procure its national digital weight management programme, with a value of up to £42 million across three service levels.
The service, aimed at supporting adults living with obesity, will provide digital support for self-management, online coaching, and targeted support offerings to reach those who “do not routinely engage with weight management programmes”.
Lot 1 will take place over 27 months and be given a maximum of £17 million, where the focus will be on self-directed digital weight management and “supporting adults living with obesity to manage their weight”. According to NHS England, this support will be delivered exclusively through digital means, with the aim to “offer service users a personalised level of intervention to support them manage their weight, improve quality of life and improve longer term health outcomes”.
The second lot is to span 27 months, with a maximum value of £12 million. It concentrates on offering access to a digital weight management programme alongside 50 minutes of individual, human coaching per service user.
The third area has been given a three-year duration and £13 million in funding.Here the aim is to deliver 100 minutes of individual coaching per service user, as well as “specific tailoring of the service for identified groups experiencing health inequalities” and for those who “do not routinely engage with weight management programmes”.
The service as a whole will focus on providing digital tools to support dietary and nutritional advice, physical activity advice and reporting on patient progress, while also utilising a recognised methodology “to support weight management and adoption of a healthy lifestyle”.
Recent updates from NHS England
NHS England has issued guidance for trust boards on assessing provider capability, intended to inform a self-assessment, with an emphasis on digital maturity and plans and data capabilities. It sets out six areas to be assessed on an annual basis, along with associated indicative evidence, covering: strategy, leadership, and planning; quality of care; people and culture; access and delivery of services; productivity and value for money; and financial performance and oversight.
The organisation is also seeking market input on a draft specification for a programme centred around the future of patient feedback, including the development of a roadmap for measurement, insight and improvement in this area. The programme aims to outline options for the design of a “sustainable and holistic insight system” in line with the 10 Year Health Plan’s three main shifts.
In July, NHS England awarded a contract to digital engineering and cloud transformation partner, Mastek and cyber security consultancy firm, Templar Executives, to provide NHS boards and executives with Senior Information Risk Owner cyber security training. According to Mastek, the training will “build resilience across the healthcare system” while also helping to improve understanding of the cyber security landscape and making sure board members know what their responsibilities are in regards to governance, leadership and compliance.
