The first digital tool to support people within NHS Tier 3 Weight Management Services has been launched.
W8Buddy has been developed by University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust (UHCW) for NHS Tier 3 Weight Management Services – a specialist obesity service comprising of dietitians, psychologists, and physicians, who work with people who have struggled for a long time to lose weight possibly and considering weight loss (bariatric) surgery
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W8Buddy has been launched to help tackle rising obesity rates and is a bespoke version of Gro Health, the highest Orcha-rated health app in the UK.
W8Buddy provides people with a personalised weight management plan supporting an individual and their family or carers to develop attitudes, beliefs, knowledge, and skills to self-manage their health.
The program is available in multiple languages to reduce health inequalities.
Features of the program include structured education, behavioural change activities, meal and exercise logging, and one-to-one and group coaching to support lifestyle modifications including diet, improving physical activity, quitting smoking and losing weight.
The platform provides home monitoring features that provide clinical teams with real-time progress information.
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Dr Hanson, a doctor and researcher working in the field of metabolism, diabetes, endocrinology, digital health and mindfulness and NHS Clinical Entrepreneur, who was highly commended for her work at the NHS England Digital and Data Awards, said: “This is an incredibly exciting innovation that will transform the way we deliver care. W8Buddy was not only inspired by our patients, but also co-created with our patients alongside the clinical team in a truly unique collaboration.
Patient advocate Richard Green helped the team develop the tool from a patient’s perspective. He said: “This is our link into the specialists that have spent many lifetimes learning and developing what works.
Charlotte Summers, founding Chief Operations Officer at DDM Health, said: “We are delighted to continue our partnership with University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust to empower people to achieve clinically meaningful weight loss with our AI-powered precision digital health platform.”
