Tier 3 weight management course - help please!!

[shaunasmile]

Hi Guys,

After 15 + years of being overweight i finally took the plunge and approached my gp for help.

I have been referred to the tier 3 weight management course with the goal of ultimately putting a case forward for weight loss surgery.

Now my question is.... I live in Essex but work full time in london. I leave my house at 6am and dont get home till 8pm. How do you fit the course in to your life? Are you able to attend weekend sessions? Would i be able to attend a group in London?

As you can appreciate all i have ever wanted is to get wls to start living my life and I will do anything to make this happen but i cant just put my job on hold.

Can anyone give me advice?

Also my bmi is 42 at 111kg 5ft'2 with no co morbs, my doctor has said we will have to use our 'imagination' and take a different approach to securing funding. Has this happened to anyone else?

Thanks so much xx

 

[shaunasmile]

Anyone?? xx

 

[samp24]

Seems to be different in different areas of the country, you will need to speak to the weight management people to find out yr options.I was lucky in that my course ran on a Saturday, was given a couple of mid week options and just chose what was best for me. Find out who runs it and give them a ring.

 

[shaunasmile]

Thank you samp24

 

[samp24]

As far as co morbidities, I didn't have any either, although we did get my knee surgeon to write a letter saying I would need new knees later on and he would support my bid for wls. I had the same bmi as you, but in the end consultant didn't think we would need the letter. It is very different all over the country, bit of a postcode lottery. Fingers crossed for you. Just be prepared to be patient. Gp referred me in Oct 2012, had my bypass 27the may this year. X

 

[samp24]

As far as co morbidities, I didn't have any either, although we did get my knee surgeon to write a letter saying I would need new knees later on and he would support my bid for wls. I had the same bmi as you, but in the end consultant didn't think we would need the letter. It is very different all over the country, bit of a postcode lottery. Fingers crossed for you. Just be prepared to be patient. Gp referred me in Oct 2012, had my bypass 27the may this year. X

 

[Birdie01]

Hi Shauna, have you had your first weight management appointment?

My BMI is 44 (113kg and 5'3") and I'm worried I won't get surgery as apart from joint pains and possibly the start of osteoarthritis - I don't have any other co morbs. I've done my year in tier 3 and have bend referred on to the hospital but it's not decided yet if I get surgery - I'm basically in no mans land at the moment! Very frustrating!

 

[Billie.x]

Hi
Can I ask where in Essex you are,, I need to be referred to the teir 3 but my doctor is clueless and doesn't know who or where to make this referral lol.
x

 

[Billie.x]

Hi Birdie,
Your teir 3, what was it etc, who did you see, how often and where??
Does it have to be a year > or can you do less lol
x

 

[Birdie01]

Hi Billie - so glad to hear things are back on track for you! I'm in West Sussex and was referred to tier 3 via the Why Weight management course initially it was called IPC weight management then changed 1/2 way through.

I've done 12 months (just about) seeing a dietitian and exercise consultant as well as a psychologist all supposed to be every three months for those that started on IPC - the newbies at why weight have to do a 12 week intensive course I think seeing the same people just every week for 12 weeks then there's a maintenance phase of 7 or 8 months before referral from weight management onto surgery!

Hope that helps a bit.

 

[Bella's mum]

Hi Guys, After 15 + years of being overweight i finally took the plunge and approached my gp for help. I have been referred to the tier 3 weight management course with the goal of ultimately putting a case forward for weight loss surgery. Now my question is.... I live in Essex but work full time in london. I leave my house at 6am and dont get home till 8pm. How do you fit the course in to your life? Are you able to attend weekend sessions? Would i be able to attend a group in London? As you can appreciate all i have ever wanted is to get wls to start living my life and I will do anything to make this happen but i cant just put my job on hold. Can anyone give me advice? Also my bmi is 42 at 111kg 5ft'2 with no co morbs, my doctor has said we will have to use our 'imagination' and take a different approach to securing funding. Has this happened to anyone else? Thanks so much xx

Hi I live in Essex too and found it difficult to get on a Tier 3 program. Did you manage to get on a Tier 3 program?

 

[Billie.x]

Hi I live in Essex too and found it difficult to get on a Tier 3 program. Did you manage to get on a Tier 3 program?

Hi
I'm just about to complete my tier 3.
Where in Essex are you from
Mine was held in Basildon and it's called morelife
It's 6 month program and there is a optional further 6 months of weigh ins, I'm hoping for my funding referral to be able to be done with the 6 months which will be March !
Fingers crossed.

 

[Bella's mum]

Hi
I'm just about to complete my tier 3.
Where in Essex are you from
Mine was held in Basildon and it's called morelife
It's 6 month program and there is a optional further 6 months of weigh ins, I'm hoping for my funding referral to be able to be done with the 6 months which will be March !
Fingers crossed.

Hi Billie

I live in Grays. Interesting that you started your Tier 3 in Basildon. My GP tried to refer me middle of September. Was told by Morelife no planned courses until they have enough people. They said it would take longer if I could only attend in the evenings.
How did you manage to get home in time to attend?
Eventually after a lot of complaining said I could attend one in Southend!!!!!!!
They have now provided a course at Harlow.
Have you finished your 6 months? How long does it take them to wrote a report to the GP?

 

[Billie.x]

Hi
I do a Monday morning group I work 4 long days to have the day off each week.
I have got 2 sessions left then will be completed !!
The lady who runs it is lovely, she said they will send report as soon as the sessions are finished beginning of March.
I will keep you updated as we are in the same area so should be the same process !!
What did your gp say regarding time scale etc.
x

 

[Bella's mum]

Hi I do a Monday morning group I work 4 long days to have the day off each week. I have got 2 sessions left then will be completed !! The lady who runs it is lovely, she said they will send report as soon as the sessions are finished beginning of March. I will keep you updated as we are in the same area so should be the same process !! What did your gp say regarding time scale etc. x

I get the impression that my GP's haven't referred anyone for WLS before. So it might well be slow I have two sessions left too, should finish my MoreLife program on the 18 March. I had a session with the dietician about WLS and it's implications, which was interesting. Have you had this opportunity in group meetings? The person who runs my course is also very nice. They both said that when the course is finished they will write to my GP and copy it to Luton and Dunstable. Still worry that Luton and Dunstable will say no. Let's keep in touch. We maybe on a similar time scale. X

 

[Billie.x]

Mine finish on the same date as you. Are we under Luton and Dunstable then ?
I met a dietitian through morelife and one through my gp 2.
The lady who runs mine is called bonnie she's lovely.
We sound at exactly the same place in the journey would be good to stay in touch as we could help each other.
X

 

[Bella's mum]

Mine finish on the same date as you. Are we under Luton and Dunstable then ?
I met a dietitian through morelife and one through my gp 2.
The lady who runs mine is called bonnie she's lovely.
We sound at exactly the same place in the journey would be good to stay in touch as we could help each other.
X

My Gp tried to refer me to Luton And Dunstable in August, only to be told I have to do 6 months of Morelife (Tier 3) and then refer me again.

I didn't get a choice of hospital, you may do I think it depends on your CCG.

Do you live in Basildon?

Yes lets keep in touch we will need all the support we can get.
x

 

[Billie.x]

My Gp tried to refer me to Luton And Dunstable in August, only to be told I have to do 6 months of Morelife (Tier 3) and then refer me again.

I didn't get a choice of hospital, you may do I think it depends on your CCG.

Do you live in Basildon?

Yes lets keep in touch we will need all the support we can get.
x

I'm in Stanford-le-hope. I've been looking up about Luton as I didn't know we went through them.
It said on their website about their tier 3 program. Does it matter if we have done morelife and not the one they provide?

I hope they don't expect me to do another 6 months on their program.

Luton & Dunstable Hospital : Obesity Services (Bariatrics)

This is the link to the site.

I'm so confused by all this information. I don't think my GP knows what and who to refer to as when I first went to the doctor I got a choose and book letter and had a random appointment made at a hospital the other side of London which was cancelled a week before as they didn't know why I had it.

It was then the receptionist at the doctors got in touch with someone from the CCG and was advised that I have to compete the tier 3, so that's how I ended up on the morelife.

So there's been no contact from my GP to any hospital or any baratric service or team.
I've got to go back to see the GP when I've finished. I've got a horrible feeling this is all going to go wrong.

When the lady from morelife writes to my GP saying I've finished the course, my GP can apply for surgery but I have a feeling he is going to not have a clue where or who to write to.

I will mention to him about the Luton and Dunstable thing as this could be where I am going ?

I feel confused and annoyed with all this !!!!

Xx

 

[Bella's mum]

I'm in Stanford-le-hope. I've been looking up about Luton as I didn't know we went through them.
It said on their website about their tier 3 program. Does it matter if we have done morelife and not the one they provide?

I hope they don't expect me to do another 6 months on their program.

Luton & Dunstable Hospital : Obesity Services (Bariatrics)

This is the link to the site.

I'm so confused by all this information. I don't think my GP knows what and who to refer to as when I first went to the doctor I got a choose and book letter and had a random appointment made at a hospital the other side of London which was cancelled a week before as they didn't know why I had it.

It was then the receptionist at the doctors got in touch with someone from the CCG and was advised that I have to compete the tier 3, so that's how I ended up on the morelife.

So there's been no contact from my GP to any hospital or any baratric service or team.
I've got to go back to see the GP when I've finished. I've got a horrible feeling this is all going to go wrong.

When the lady from morelife writes to my GP saying I've finished the course, my GP can apply for surgery but I have a feeling he is going to not have a clue where or who to write to.

I will mention to him about the Luton and Dunstable thing as this could be where I am going ?

I feel confused and annoyed with all this !!!!

Xx

Hi Billie

Don't worry you are on the correct Tier 3 programme with MoreLife. Our CCG have commissioned MoreLife to provide this service. I tried to get a referral to Luton And Dunstable for their Tier 3 but Thurrock CCG wouldn't fund it

Luton And Dunstable told my GP to use MoreLife and once I had completed the programme to refer me again.

My GP also gives me the impression she hasn't referred anyone before either.

We live quite close then, it will be good to be able to support each other.
x