Tier 3 Weight Management FAQs

Tier 3 weight management services offer weight management support for people who live with obesity. The Derbyshire tier 3 service includes:

• Psychologists/psychotherapists.
• Weight management advisers.
• Specialist dietitians/nutritionists.
• Doctors who specialise in obesity.

The service can offer up to 12 months of support.

We offer telephone, video and face to face appointments.

Your assessment appointment will be with one of the psychology team members. You will talk about if it is the right time for a referral to the tier 3 service.  

If you are accepted on to the programme, you will be closely supported by a weight management adviser (WMA). They may get in touch every few weeks to support you with weight loss. During your appointments with the WMA, you will form a plan that is just for you. This plan will be guided by the core messages of the service.  

You may also speak to your psychology team member to talk about your progress. You will be asked to weigh yourself in between appointments. There may also be an option to be weighed at one of our clinic sites. 

Some people may also have an appointment with a specialist dietitian or nutritionist and/or a doctor who specialises in obesity.

It is important that you engage with the team and agree to come to all appointments. We know that life can be busy and sometimes you may need to change your appointment. If you don’t come to your appointments, you will be discharged from the service. 

You will be asked to weigh yourself at home, or using a different venue, for example:

• Your GP practice.
• Local pharmacy.
• Leisure centre.
• Gym.

It is important for the team to understand you as a person and your history.  

We might ask for information on your physical/mental health and your life at home. We would also like to understand your motivation to lose weight.   

You may also be asked about your weight history and what you have tried in the past to lose weight. We would also like to know about your eating and drinking habits now.  

This information is important for us to know so we can support you in the best way possible. 

We suggest that patients aim to lose 5% of their body weight to start with. This has been shown to help many health problems that are linked to obesity. 

The short answer is...no! Weight loss diets are often designed to be too restrictive and not sustainable. This means that any short-term weight loss will be put back on, sometimes with more on top.  

We focus on diet and lifestyle changes that will last. These changes will be based on your lifestyle.  

We will look with you at our core messages. These messages support healthy weight loss that will last.

We do not usually give out meal plans. Instead, we look at our core diet and lifestyle messages. These will help you to make healthier choices. 

The tier 3 service does not offer therapy or counselling. You may wish to speak with your GP about counselling services in your area.

It can be very helpful to have access to bodyweight scales to monitor your weight.  

Many scales are available in shops and online. You may also be able to access weighing scales at your GP surgery, local pharmacy, leisure centre or gym.  

Some scales have a maximum weight limit. You may need to look at this if you choose to buy your own.  

You should not need any other additional equipment.

If you are thinking about weight loss surgery in the future, you will need to complete 6-12 months of a tier 3 programme.  

Weight loss surgery is only successful with behaviour and lifestyle changes.  

You will have support from your WMA and psychology team members. Then you will be assessed by a specialist dietitian or nutritionist and a doctor. 

Once all members of the team agree, you may then be referred on to a tier 4 surgical service.

You can read some general information about weight loss surgery on the NHS website by following this link - https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/weight-loss-surgery/