Nepean Blue Mountains Family Metabolic Health Service

[Jacqueline Moore – Client of NBM Family Obesity Service]

When I had an operation at the end of last year which they did very begrudgingly because of my weight, but I really needed to have it done, and I have to have it done again in six months time. They said to me, "at your current weight, we really, really do not want to do it. No one wants to do it: to take the responsibility of you going under anesthetic. You need to lose some weight.

[Dr Kathryn Williams – Endocrinologist and Adult Clinic Lead, NBM Family Obesity Service]

I believe obesity is the most important health problem that our community has to focus on now, because as I said the rates are increasing and it is a significant problem, so one in three people are obese in our community, and that has significant ramifications for their social circumstances, their mental health and their general health and it will only get worse if we don't do something about it now.

[Jacqueline Moore]

Now I've tried everything else, you know, all the other diets and companies and everything, and nothing really worked. I just lost interest, went away, that was the end of them. So when I, sort of, you know, someone said, "ring the obesity clinic".

[Rhiannon – Nurse]

Good morning , Nepean Family Obesity Service, Rhiannon speaking, hello.

[Jacqueline Moore]

I then blurted out how much I weighed, and my BMI and everything, and I think she was a little bit shocked, and she sort of said, "ooh, gosh, okay..."

She rang me back, I think it was almost the next day. She said, "we're going to see what we can do for you", and I thought, "oh, thank God, you know". So anyhow I went in and I saw them, and I had all these people, you know, were coming to me and, you know, we're going to do this, we want to help you with that and, you know, we'll do it this way and that way.

I have a dietitian, I have a doctor, I have a physiotherapist and I have a counselor. And they all take their time with me, and you know, just give me little encouragements. And ring me and everything, just to make sure that I'm on track.

[Saffy Badorrek – Dietitian, NBM Family Obesity Service]

Working in a multidisciplinary team like this one, all of the professions are on par with each other. So the dietitian and the physio and the endocrinologist, we all seem to have just as important role to play in the team as each other.

[Dr Kathryn Williams]

This service is one of the very few that involves care from the cradle to the grave, so we can actually follow a patient from birth through their lifespan to old age.

[Jacqueline Moore]

You put all of that together, and you haven't just got a diet clinic. You have got a team of wonderful people that are all looking out for you, and they do seem to gear it to me.

I have had my days where it's, you know, been really, really difficult, and I have strayed. But I come straight back to it, which I never was able to do before.

[Dr Kathryn Williams]

We can all get people to lose weight over three to six months, but the ultimate holy grail is getting people to maintain that weight loss and that will be a focus of our service as well, equipping our patients with this ongoing ability to maintain their weight and their health.

[Jacqueline Moore]

It's just working. You know, between one and a half to two kilos a week I'm dropping off, I'm feeling a lot better. I know there are people there helping me, and I'm not doing it on my own. I've really got these lovely people that seem to care about me. And I've never had that before. Never had that with any of them before.