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Weight Assessment & Management Service (WAMS)

Specialist Weight Management (Tier 3)

Our Tier 3 Weight Assessment and Management Service (WAMS) is temporarily closed to new referrals. Please speak to your GP to discuss your treatment options.

All existing patients who have been referred into the service are unaffected and will continue to be seen and treated. Our Tier 4 Bariatric Service is also unaffected and continues to accept referrals.

The following information is for existing patients of the WAMS service.

 

We deliver a specialist ‘Weight Assessment and Management Service’ (WAMS). WAMS is based at Southmead Hospital in Bristol and is a service for people with severe or complex obesity. WAMS provides non-surgical weight management support and interventions for a 6-12month period.

The WAMS team is supportive and non-judgemental and will take into account your individual circumstances. The team includes:

  • Consultant Physicians
  • Counselling / Clinical Psychologists
  • Assistant Psychologists
  • Dietitians
  • Programme co-ordinators

The aims of WAMS include:

  • The overall aim is to help you lose at least 5% of your initial weight and improve your health and emotional wellbeing. Evidence shows that as little as a 5% weight loss can improve an individual’s risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease*.
  • To encourage long-term behaviour change through promoting healthy eating, physical activity and addressing the psychological barriers to unhealthy relationships with food.
  • To improve the management of other conditions that are associated with severe obesity e.g. diabetes, sleep apnoea.
  • if appropriate, we can refer you on to our ‘Bristol Bariatric Service’ colleagues (formerly known as Tier 4) for surgical assessment for weight loss surgery. We will make sure that you are prepared for weight loss surgery, by supporting you to understand the need for behaviour change pre and post-surgery and to assist in making decisions.

*American Diabetes Association. Benefits of modest weight loss in improving cardiovascular risk factors in overweight and obese individuals with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2011; 34(7): 1481-1486.

Specialist Weight Management Service

The overall aim is to help you lose at least 5% of your initial weight and improve your health and emotional wellbeing. Evidence shows that as little as a 5% weight loss can improve an individual’s risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease*.

Weight Management Assessment

The assessment will focus on understanding how your weight is impacting on you and consider your motivation and commitment to change. We will also check that you have no reversible medical cause of obesity.

Weight Management Patient Pathway

The assessment will focus on understanding how your weight is impacting on you and consider your motivation and commitment to change. We will also check that you have no reversible medical cause of obesity.

Mood & Food Groups

The Mood and Food groups are a great opportunity for you to meet with others from similar situations and to share and learn from each other’s experiences. The groups are supportive, non-judgemental and take into account your individual circumstances.

 

Related links

Weight Assessment & Management Service (WAMS)