Personalised Pathways to Healthy Weight
The expected service commencement date is 01 October 2026 and the end date is 31 March 2029.
NHS Dorset is procuring a Prime Provider through a Competitive Tender to deliver ‘Personalised Pathways for Healthy Weight’ following successful approval in Strand 1 (Access) within the national Obesity Prevention Innovation Programme (OPIP). The Prime Provider will act as System Integrator for the Programme and may choose to deliver some or all elements of the new service(s).
“Independent grant funding has been provided by Eli Lilly and Company[JW1.1] Limited in addition to the funding contributed by the Department for Science Innovation and Technology. The programme is being delivered through Innovate UK”
The Prime Provider will:
• Hold full accountability for delivery of pathway outcomes and system integration, including responsibility for digital integration, any sub-contractor performance and real-time monitoring and reporting.
• Develop and maintain effective system integration, partnership working and build community capital.
• Distribute investment equitably across partners to reward the effort, risks, expertise and contributions to achieving outcomes.
• Generate a scalable, evidence based model (“blueprint”) to support long term sustainability and wider system adoption.
• Deliver directly or through approved sub-contract(s), evidence informed, personalised, end to end, weight management pathways for children, young people and adults in identified priority cohorts across Dorset, which are trauma informed, inclusive, and sustain outcomes and self-management.
• Ensure co production with people with lived experience meaningfully shapes service design, delivery and continuous improvement.
• Increase the knowledge, skills and confidence of our workforce and people supporting Service Users.
The Prime Provider will be required to work with an Alliance partnership between:
• NHS Dorset – Lead Commissioner and Programme Lead for OPIP
• BU PIER – Co-production with VCSE engagement partner.
• Health Innovation Wessex – Independent evaluation partner.
Personalised Pathways to Healthy Weight Services will:
• Develop and test an inclusive, community-based model that addresses the persistent inequalities in access, experience and outcomes for underserved populations and tackles the underlying causes of obesity.
• Serve people registered with a Dorset GP who are identified as clinically overweight or obese and in one of the following priority cohorts; Severe Mental Illness; Learning Disability; SEND Support or Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP); Care Experienced (*including out of county placements).
• Complement existing system weight management pathways including; Community and Specialist Weight Management Services Weight management – NHS Dorset
Elements of care:
• Recruit participants to the programme by pro-actively case finding through our Dorset Insight and Intelligence Service (DiiS) and through trusted people and places, making every contact count.
• Offer a personalised multi-disciplinary team conversation, which recognises the lived experience of participants, and provides a tailored care plan, with support from a lead professional or coach.
• Deliver personalised pathways to health weight through evidence-informed and co-produced interventions. Delivery might include; in-person groups, remote groups, and digital technologies (platforms/wearables), for individuals, families and carers, and communities.
• Integrate new care pathways and interventions within existing system weight management pathways, to ensure sustainable healthy weight for individuals and improve access to standard care for family, carer, and community members.
