NHS Declaration on Healthy Weight
Influence Policy:
The NHS Declaration provides a mechanism for organisations to signal their commitment and demonstrate leadership and a coordinated approach to address unhealthy weight. It also enables a number of different NHS organisations to develop a consistent approach, working in partnership across organisational boundaries to address unhealthy weight and support the prevention agenda.
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust became the first NHS Trust to adopt the Declaration in 2022, as part of a collaborative approach alongside North Tyneside Council and Northumberland County Council who also adopted the Local Authority Declaration on Healthy Weight.
North Tyneside Council, Northumberland County Council and Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust today (22 November) signed their Healthy Weight Declarations. Read more here.
What are the benefits of a NHS Declaration?
The NHS Declaration on Healthy Weight can provide support in the following area:
- Provides a framework to galvanise work and priorities relating to the healthy weight agenda, whilst also providing opportunities to consider prevention more broadly
- The approach establishes a longer-term commitment to reducing the prevalence of excess weight, included and referenced in organisational strategies (helping to provide a structure for governance and reporting on healthy weight action plans)
- Is a useful lever when considering converging agenda’s, to bring a range of departments on board and engage wider stakeholders who traditionally may not have a played a direct role in promoting healthy weight (for some Trusts this involves working with partners ‘at place’ who have adopted the Local Authority Healthy Weight Declaration)
- Supports strategies to reduce health disparities and COVID recovery plans, particularly from a staff health and well-being perspective
- Instigates leadership within the organisation, engaging executive and clinical sponsors to drive a cultural shift across the organisation and develop the role of clinical champions
- Is a mechanism in helping to continue and carry forward the historic CQUIN work (food and staff health and well-being) and promote the new hospital food standards
- Develops the role of champions, both NED’s and workplace champions, to communicate messages and support the wider workforce
Find out more
Read the ‘how to’ guide to adopting the NHS Healthy Weight Declaration below:
Interested?
If you would like to speak to one of the team about accessing the NHS Healthy Weight Declaration, please contact us below.
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