Pharmacies considering setting up a weight loss or weight management service now have a wide range of resources they can draw on.
PSNC's website has a whole section on weight management services with links to tools and publications which may be useful to support the commissioning of this service.18 It provides templates for weight management services for adults and for children, briefings and case studies. It also gives links to other resources, such as Public Health England's collection of documents to support the commissioning and delivery of tier 2 weight management services for children, families and adults.19

NICE's guideline PH53 looks at technical rather than clinical aspects around providing weight management services. It focuses on lifestyle weight management programmes that:16

·      accept self-referrals or referrals from health or social care practitioners

·      are provided by the public, private or voluntary sector

·      are based in the community, workplaces, primary care or online.

Its 18 recommendations cover aspects such as raising awareness of a service, making referrals, and addressing the expectations and information needs of adults considering joining a lifestyle weight management programme.
It also lists the core components that a service should have if it is going to be commissioned, and says that contracts for lifestyle weight management programmes should ensure they include specific outcomes and address local needs. This includes what should be monitored to evaluate a service.
The Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education has a training programme on weight management €designed to support pharmacy professionals currently delivering, or planning to deliver, a weight management service in the community€. It aims to €support learners to acquire the knowledge, develop the skills and demonstrate the attitudes necessary to offer a high-quality weight management service.€20