Help with weight watchers cost

continualdiamond

I'm just curious if anyone knows anything about this.

I pay per mth, which basically means i get access the meetings and online website for 1 cost.

But upon reading through the board post a member has stated she has a referral from her gp for weight watchers so she won't pay anything.

I never knew anything like this existed on the NHS. I just went and joined off my own back cos i knew i needed to do something.

WW are putting the price up to £19.99 a mth for monthly pass, it's not too bad in the sense for what you get, i mean you get as much out of the website as you want.

It's basically £5 a week and i know when you think about £5 a week you could easily spent that in loose change without realising.

But i'm wondering if its worth going to my gp to get some help with the cost of it. I mean if something like this exists, then why not.

But i don't ever hear anything about it like advertised to encourage people to loose weight this way....

Anyone know anything about it?

jenniewb

A GP referal is based on what your PCT (Primary Care Trust) will or wont fund. My mum is a WW leader and in her area there are no people funded by the NHS to come to her leaflet despite many people asking for refeals.

In another area there was one funded person, he was funded for 5 sessions. After that he had to pay, not sure if the PCT expected him to lose all his weight by then or not.

Think its all what fits into the budget now, not just weight loss (where they may prefer to pack you off with a bunch of questionable pills) but with mental health (again pills or two or three weeks of CBT rather then longer term councelling to find out the real issues) or even cancer treatments. The latest one I have found is period pain.

rockie4

A friend of mine got it but only for a limited period and because her BMI was high - I think she said it had to be over 35 but I'm not sure.

I think it depends on what your PCT will fund.

Crisp_£_note

Have been fighting with my GP for few months now to get a referal. They just wont do it. Contacted local PCT myself they arnt even sure if they offer the service and still waiting a reply (2 months later) from them to tell me, can only assume the answer is no. GP has offered me 'diet pills' twice and suggested I joined WW over SW but cant get me a 'discount or referal'. It's maddening, I am trying to help myself (which is why I approached GP 3 months ago) they dont seem to care attitude except to go back to see them each month to show I am not loosing weight despite all my hard work efforts. Its emotionaly and probably physically killing me. I ask for help and I dont get it there is no magic cure I know but all I want is help to help myself genuinely.

Thanks for bringing up the subject

stormcloudgathering

£20 a month is not a lot; you'd probably have spent that on lattes and cookies each month.
I don't think the NHS should fund this in these recessionary times.

VfM4meplse

stormcloudgathering wrote: »

£20 a month is not a lot; you'd probably have spent that on lattes and cookies each month.
I don't think the NHS should fund this in these recessionary times.

I think if anything, less lifestyle fixes will be funded by the NHS regardless of where you live in England - and that includes cosmetic procedures and bariatric surgery (gastric banding). The alcohol programme was the first thing that died under this present government.

So the answer to your weight loss is in your own hands.

suki1964

Crisp_£_note wrote: »

Have been fighting with my GP for few months now to get a referal. They just wont do it. Contacted local PCT myself they arnt even sure if they offer the service and still waiting a reply (2 months later) from them to tell me, can only assume the answer is no. GP has offered me 'diet pills' twice and suggested I joined WW over SW but cant get me a 'discount or referal'. It's maddening, I am trying to help myself (which is why I approached GP 3 months ago) they dont seem to care attitude except to go back to see them each month to show I am not loosing weight despite all my hard work efforts. Its emotionaly and probably physically killing me. I ask for help and I dont get it there is no magic cure I know but all I want is help to help myself genuinely.

Thanks for bringing up the subject

Are you SERIOUSLY saying you cant afford five pound a week to benefit your own health? You will find the fiver from the saving in your food bill at least


What is it with people nowdays that they expect the NHS to pay for their lifestyle choices?

SandC

It strikes me that people are after a quick fix - what makes you think that WW is going to work for you if your 'hard work' hasn't?

If you are very overweight and WW or SW is going to be beneficial for you then I would have thought the cost would be easily offset by the reduction in spending on junk - or if you swear you don't eat any junk - portion control.

I agree with the others - the NHS should not be wasting money on paying for people to go to slimming clubs.