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NHS Bristol plan to launch a new community scheme designed to help pregnant women in the city lose weight.

The NHS for the city plan to give one to one support and advice to locals with a body mass index of more than thirty with a particular focus on pregnant women. It's one of the first initiatives of its kind in the South West.

Latest estimates for Bristol are that there are 75,000 adults who are obese and 60,000 who are overweight according to the Health Survey for England. The new service will help patients who have already been struggling to lose weight.

Under the new community scheme patients over 16 with a Body Mass Index of more than 30 can be referred to new clinics provided by University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust.  Patients with specific health issues with a BMI of 28- 30 may also be referred to the clinics. The new service is aimed at those people who are really struggling and need either one to one support or a specialised group.  This means that people can get the support and motivation to make changes to their lifestyle and maintain them over time.

Pregnant women are a particular target group as obesity is the biggest cause of maternal deaths.

The first patients will be seen at Greenway  Community practice in Southmead, followed by a clinic starting at Horfield health centre and by April Air Balloon and Knowle West health park will be offering sessions. When fully operational the service will be accessible on weekdays  and at weekends. Eventually the full service will run from 10 venues across the city.

The service is based on several key principles:

* An effective balanced approach to weight management involving nutrition and physical activity
* Accessible through local community clinics close to patients home or work and aimed particularly at disadvantaged areas
* Personalised patient treatment programmes of varying duration recognising individual issues and needs
* Sustainable benefits by enabling patients to develop the necessary personal attributes and skills for their own long-term weight management.

Dr Hugh Annett, Bristol Director of Public Health, said: "Previously patients struggling with losing weight only had the option of slimming clubs for  those with the most severe problems or hospital clinics or surgery.. This is a boost to the service to help patients before their weight becomes a life threatening issue. In the long run, it is our expectation the service will mean that fewer patients will need the higher tier hospital services."

Project manager of the weight management scheme Sharon Sexton says it's a very personal thing and they want to tailor the service to each service user: "It will very much depend on what people feel they're able to do and where they're at at this stage in their life. It's very much about talking to them and finding out what's realistic for them and supporting them to make changes. Changes around what they're eating, talking to them about their activity levels."

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