Question reference: S5W-35612
- Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 1 March 2021
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Current status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 10 March 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of COVID-19 on the provision of weight management services.
Answer
We are aware that the pandemic has impacted the delivery of weight management services across Scotland. Staff have been redeployed to acute COVID-19 response, which has resulted in the pausing of some in-person weight management services across Boards over the past year.
Boards are required to report quarterly to the Scottish Government on their progress in relation to the Framework for the Prevention, Early Detection and Early Intervention of Type 2 Diabetes. This reporting mechanism allows us to assess any impact of COVID-19 on weight management services that are integral to Type 2 Diabetes care.
The provision of weight management services has continued throughout the pandemic on digital platforms such as NHS Near Me. Boards are refocusing pre-COVID services to include digital and technological solutions to improve flexibility of care. Further information on Near Me can be found here https://www.nearme.scot/ .
Public Health Scotland will publish a national report this year on the core national weight management dataset, incorporating data analyses and reflections on COVID-19 impact on data collection. This report is expected in May 2021. We will use this dataset to assess the weight management services currently offered and the outcomes achieved by users.