Month: November 2020

We are delighted to announce that MoreLife has been revealed as a finalist for the Health Service Journal (HSJ) awards for our success in helping people living in East Anglia to improve their health and wellbeing. 

Set up in partnership with Leeds Beckett University, MoreLife uses research and insight to develop evidence driven and community led programmes, commissioned by local councils and Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs).

Creating positive outcomes

The ‘Community provider of the year’ entry demonstrated how our services are harnessing the power of local partners and communities to address health inequalities across Suffolk and Essex.

In Suffolk, the ‘OneLife Suffolk’ service has supported over 62,500 residents with healthy lifestyle and behavioural change programmes since 2016, with key programmes focused around child and adult weight management, stop smoking, NHS health checks and ‘get help to get active’  for people with long term health conditions.

In South and West Essex, over 1,700 residents have joined our 12-month weight management programme since 2018, and have been supported in tackling their challenges living with obesity.

Developing community partnerships

Crucial to achieving these positive outcomes, we have worked with over 200 GPs across East Anglia to signpost patients to relevant services, and deliver ‘Make Every Contact Count’ training to over 4,000 community champions including teachers, health care practitioners’, pharmacists, voluntary sector staff and others.

Our innovative partnership with maternity services in Suffolk based hospitals has supported relevant training for over 25 midwives each month – resulting in 132 expectant mums quitting smoking in 2018/19.

Adapting to the Covid-19 pandemic

The entry also showcased how we have adapted our model from face-to-face delivery to virtual delivery supported with digital resources – ensuring continuity of delivery during COVID-19. Over 75,000 wellbeing and service update calls were made to Suffolk residents in need during the lockdown (just under 10% of the Suffolk population).

To support staff wellbeing during the pandemic, we have trained our teams to deliver services from their homes, introduced virtual coffee catch-ups and surveys staff about their wellbeing every six weeks.

Paul Gately, Professor of Exercise and Obesity at Leeds Beckett University and CEO of MoreLife said; “Community delivered services are crucial to tackling key public health issues, and we are pleased to receive recognition nationally and be given the opportunity to demonstrate how our services are creating positive outcomes and helping reduce pressures on our NHS.

“I’m incredibly proud of the MoreLife team, who have worked miraculously to adapt to the challenges of the pandemic and ensure the highest standard in the delivery that we provide our clients, and the outcomes that they achieve.”

The winners of the national HSJ awards will be announced on 17 March 2021.

OneLife Suffolk and Public Health Suffolk have launched a campaign to increase awareness of the Diabetes UK ‘Know Your Risk’ tool among the Suffolk population to help reduce the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes in the local community.

Every two minutes, someone finds out that they have Type 2 diabetes, a potentially serious health condition that can cause long-term health problems. It can lead to sight loss, kidney failure, loss of a limb, and makes you at least twice as likely to have a heart attack or stroke.

The true number of people with diabetes is unknown because a certain number of people are living with the condition but have not yet been diagnosed.

However, it is possible to estimate the number of people with diabetes in Suffolk using prevalence estimates developed by Public Health England – The prevalence estimates suggest that around 7,500 people in Suffolk have undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes.

Around three in five cases of Type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed by maintaining a healthy weight, eating well and being active.

In England, by completing the ‘Know Your Risk’ tool, you can find out if you are at risk of Type 2 diabetes and are eligible for the Healthier You NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme.

The Know Your Risk tool is not a diagnostic tool, but it is designed for people without a current diagnosis of diabetes and is intended to highlight a person’s risk of developing Type 2 diabetes in the next 10 years.

William Hadfield, Clinical Lead Dietetics for ICS Health and Wellbeing, said

“Type 2 diabetes is a very serious health condition, but the good news is there are lots of things you can do to reduce your risk.

If you are at high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, you may be eligible for referral to your local Healthier You service. This NHS-funded programme can support you to make simple changes to your diet and lifestyle. They are easy to incorporate into your everyday routine and can significantly reduce your risk of diabetes-related health problems.”

Cllr James Reeder, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Prevention, said:

 “Early monitoring, diagnosis and support can make a huge difference in helping people to prevent or manage diabetes. Type 2 Diabetes is preventable, this is why it is so important to be aware of the warning signs, and how you can reduce your risk of developing the condition.

Fitness programmes such as OneLife Suffolk’s Get Help to Get Active service offer people support to either prevent or manage their diabetes. OneLife Suffolk also offer free Adult Weight Management support and a Stop Smoking service.”

Visit https://riskscore.diabetes.org.uk/start to access the Diabetes UK ‘Know your risk’ tool.

If you find our you are at risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes and haven’t already been referred, ask your GP, Nurse, or NHS Health Check professional to refer you to your local Healthier You programme.

More information about preventing Type 2 diabetes can be found on our website HERE.

Following the Prime Minister’s lockdown announcement, OneLife Suffolk are open and accepting referrals we have also adapted the way we deliver our services to continue to help you to live healthier lives, particularly in these challenging times.

We will continue to deliver one-to-one face to face appointments and our face to face group sessions with a maximum of up to 15 people.

We are also able to deliver our services remotely by contacting and supporting clients via Telephone, Zoom and Facebook. If these options are unsuitable for you or your family, please contact us and we will look to support you via an alternative method.

If you are currently in the process of attending one of our face to face programmes, you will be contacted by your practitioner in the next few days to discuss your preference on whether you would prefer face to face or remote delivery. It will remain our aim to seamlessly continue to support you to ensure your success.

Our NHS Health Checks will continue to operate as normal and you can book an appointment by signing up on our website, or calling our client services team.

As per the advice from the Ramblers Association, and the government guidance concerning outdoor activities being restricted to people from your own household, support bubble or one other person, our Health Walks have been suspended with immediate effect. We are hoping to restart these as soon as guidance permits.

OneLife Suffolk’s Making Every Contact Count (MECC) training provides you with the skills of how to spot the right time to have a meaningful and supportive conversation. It also gives you the knowledge needed to help and support others in making healthier and happier choices in their lives.  Our training is completely FREE and can be completed online when it suits you. It only takes approximately 60 minutes and is an interesting, interactive session with useful skills we can use every day. Go to our online training page to register for FREE and start learning today. 

If you have any further questions or queries, please call us on 01473 718193. Thank you for your cooperation.

As we find ourselves in a second lockdown, it is vital that we all take the time to look after our mental health and wellbeing, as well as look out for our family and friends.

We’ve listed some resources that you might find useful: