A service which helps Lincolnshire people lead healthier lives is likely to stop its weight-loss and alcohol-reduction services.
One You Lincolnshire, which is run by Lincolnshire County Council and funded by the government, will shift its aim towards giving children a healthier start in life under new proposals.
It currently helps people to lose weight, be more active, drink less alcohol or give up smoking.
Funding would be redirected towards the Best Start Lincolnshire: Early Years and Family Services, which supports children and their families during the first five years of life.
The elements that would be discontinued are:
* The healthy weight pathway ‘Eat Well, Lose Weight’
* Physical activity pathway ‘Move More’
* Alcohol reduction support ‘Drink Less’
* Child and Family Weight Management service ‘Gloji Energy’.
Services to help people give up smoking and prevent falls will continue.
The service was previously praised as a “Lincolnshire success story”, saving health services an estimated £4 for every £1 spent on it.
The council hopes that giving children a better start will prevent them from developing unhealthy habits later in life.
Coun Steve Clegg, the executive member for adult care and health, said: “While the healthy lifestyle service has received positive feedback from some of those who have used it, refocusing our efforts towards younger generations would ultimately be more effective.
“There’s clear evidence that a child’s experiences in their early years will have a lasting impact on their health and wellbeing in later life, including educational outcomes. If we invest in giving all our young people a healthy start in life, we would expect to see greater benefits overall.
“If we can instil healthy habits at an early age and prevent people from becoming unhealthy in the first place, it would also help ease some of the pressure on the NHS services that currently have to tackle the consequences of obesity, smoking and alcohol misuse.
“Our aim is to provide support that brings long-term benefits to the people of Lincolnshire, while also offering excellent value, and these proposals will help us do just that.”
