Strategic Council

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APPG on Obesity Announces New Strategic Council

In 2019 the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Obesity set up a strategic council to give advice on how to improve the prevention and treatment of obesity. The council is made up of leading academics, clinicians, policy-makers and patient representatives, to offer advice on how to reverse the UK’s rising obesity rates and to delegate voluntary task and finish groups to take practical steps to reduce obesity.

Obesity is one of the greatest health problems facing the UK, with over 60% of adults in England classed as overweight or living with obesity. Similarly, childhood obesity rates are also on the rise. If current trends continue, obesity will continue to pose an increasing risk to public health. Obesity is associated with significant health problems such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer and causes significant cost to the NHS.

The council will create a forum to discuss the joining up of obesity prevention and treatment and how to reduce the impact of obesity on the lives of those living in the UK.

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The members of the Strategic Council are as follows:

  • Professor Paul Gately, Professor of Exercise and Obesity, Leeds Beckett University

    • Paul has significant experience in the design, development and evaluation of obesity intervention programmes for children and adults both within the UK and internationally. He has worked with a variety of stakeholders from Government, NGO and the commercial sector.

  • Patrick McGinley, Head of Costing and SLR, Maidstone & Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust

    • Patrick is a very experienced cost and management accountant and manager within NHS.

  • Susannah Howard, ICP Programme Director, Suffolk & North East Essex ICS

    • Susannah Howard has a depth of knowledge of contemporary health and care policy as part of leadership team of one of the first and most successful Integrated Care Systems.

  • Sarah Le Brocq, Director, All About Obesity

    • As a person living with obesity, Sarah brings the lived experience, but also brings her experience of being Director of All About Obesity and her experience of working with the NHS for over 15 years.

  • Chris McEwan, Councillor, Darlington Borough Council and Darlington Primary Care Network Lay Member

    • Chris’ expertise lies in both an understanding of NHS Commissioning and Local Government. He was Deputy leader of Darlington Council. Additionally, he works as an LGA Peer specialising in Prevention Matters workshops, along with undertaking Whole System Health and Social Care Reviews, alongside working with development of Health and Wellbeing Board Chairs.

  • Shaw Somers, Specialist Upper Gastrointestinal and Bariatric Surgeon, Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust

    • Shaw has 25 years of experience in managing patients with complex obesity problems, and extensive experience in setting up NHS services for complex obesity in three NHS Trusts.

  • Dr Rishi Caleyachetty, Assistant Professor, Warwick Medical School

    • Rishi is a junior doctor and epidemiologist, taking care of both patients and communities living with obesity and obesity-related complications.

  • Professor James Kingsland OBE, President, National Association of Primary Care

    • James is a UK General Practitioner of considerable experience and talent who throughout his career has consistently been elected by his peers into leadership positions, both locally and nationally. He is unique as a practicing clinician, who is also a broadcaster, writer, presenter, speaker and educator.

  • Dr Adrian Brown, NIHR Lecturer/Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, Imperial College London

    • Adrian’s expertise focuses on the nutritional and behavioural management of people with obesity and type 2 diabetes. In particular, using formula low energy diets in patients with type 2 diabetes, obesity & other co-morbidities.

  • Dr Emma Frew, Professor in Health Economics, University of Birmingham

    • Emma is an internationally recognised health economist with expertise in the economics of obesity. As well as her technical academic expertise, she brings vast amounts of applied experience working with local and national policy-makers.

  • Professor John Wass, Professor of Endocrinology, University of Oxford

    • John brings an experience of the treatment of obesity, experience of the setting up obesity services, and the protagonising of these throughout the country and the interactions of Tiers 1, 2, 3 and 4 of weight management.

  • Nadya Isack, Patient Representative, Obesity Empowerment Network

    • Nadya’s expertise lies in the fact that she am not the “usual” known person advising and/or commenting about issues regarding Obesity.

The inaugural meeting of the Strategic Council was held on Tuesday 23rd July 2019 in the Houses of Parliament, and members have continued to reactivate their membership annually. Members last renewed their membership in May 2022.

Members of the Strategic Council are appointed on an entirely voluntary basis, and do not receive reimbursement for their time.

Contact us: If you have any questions about the Strategic Council and the work it is currently undertaking, please email obesityappg@healthcommsconsulting.co.uk or call 07852266830.

This is not an official website of the House of Commons or House of Lords. It has not been approved by either House or its committees. All-Party Parliamentary Groups are informal groups of Members of both Houses with a common interest in particular issues. The views expressed in these webpages are those of the group.