Enabling Access to Bariatric and Medical Therapeutic Weight Management Services

The contract will retain the original services which includes support relating to complex obesity, offering an integrated pathway for weight related medications and surgical treatment options and this will be enhanced with the following.

The Services to be included within the Contract Modification are outlined in the Service Specification relating to 'Enabling Access to Medical and Surgical Weight Management Intervention's including the urgent pathway for high BMI patients needing Gynaecological Cancer surgery.

The provider will offer both medical and surgical interventions via an integrated pathway, collaborate with other weight management providers within the wider weight management pathway, establishing a weight management single point of access to triage all weight management referrals.

The provider has their own ITU in line with NICE requirements for bariatric surgery.

The modifications to the contract includes:

•additional requirement around establishing an integrated single point of access,

•enabling access to NICE approved weight related medication (Tirzepatide) and NHS England delivery models, which will likely incur additional demand (TBD)

•repatriation of patients from an out of area provider, who are awaiting tier 3 weight management services and choose to be treated locally

•potential modifications relating to phlebotomy arrangements may be included within the scope of the specification and contract.

The contract modification will be added to main Acute contract with an annual break clause and will be reviewed annual basis.

The specialist obesity service may be subject to change due to elements such as, ITU arrangements and wider NHSE commissioning frameworks relating to weight related medications.

National frameworks have indicated a 3-year review point to re-assess delivery options which will include e.g. access to Tirzepatide.