CCH Perspective

CCH win Southwark Healthy Weight Training Contract

Innovative online education company to support London Borough attain a healthy weight

London, UK: The College of Contemporary Health, an online college specialising in innovative e-Learning for health professionals in weight management and obesity care, are excited to announce that we have secured the opportunity to partner with the London Borough of Southwark and develop online courses for health professionals and community members in the Borough.

Southwark has some of the highest rates of obesity in the country with 47% of all adults and 43% of children in year 6 classified as overweight and obese. Overweight and obesity not only impacts the quality of life of Southwark residents but also on their productivity and health.  

Southwark Council is committed to delivering its vision to make Southwark a safer and healthier place and CCH is delighted to be collaborating with Southwark to improve the health of the local population and to help them achieve that goal. CCH will do this by providing a bespoke e-learning offering for the Borough.  

CCH are experienced providers of continuing professional development (CPD) accredited e- Learning and will be developing 2 unique courses for health professionals and community members across the London Borough of Southwark.

I am delighted that CCH has secured the tender for this exciting and innovative project within the Borough of Southwark. With fewer than 0.1% of health professionals in the UK having any training in the critical public health area of obesity, it is great to be partnering with an organisation who is keen to make a difference. We are excited to be offered the opportunity to deliver courses that will better equip health and community members in Southwark.

Daniel Pothecary-Smith, Business Development Executive, CCH.

About College of Contemporary Health (CCH): College of Contemporary Health is an e-Learning college providing accessible online training for health professionals in weight management and obesity care. All CCH courses are evidence-based, use a learner centred approach and are overseen by an esteemed Academic Advisory Board. CCH have trained health professionals across the UK and globe and provide the only completely online Masters in Obesity Care and Management.

Starting an online Masters – Do you know what to expect?

What do I need to consider before starting?

Studying at master's level does require a higher level of commitment. To get the most out of your studies, it is important that you set time aside to read and study the materials. CCH's MSc in Obesity Care and Management is made up of presentations, videos, podcasts and reading materials to complement, and suit, all learning styles.

Who will I be studying with?

You will be studying with fellow health professionals from across the UK and the globe including: GPs, doctors, nurses, physicians, surgeons, physiotherapists, dieticians, nutritionists, psychologists and professionals working in weight management. Our international student base means that you have the unique opportunity to share best practice with health professionals from across the globe!

Will I get support?

CCH student support is second to none. From online tutors and module leaders, assisting you to achieve your best academic potential, to an in-house tech and admissions team to help you with any query you have – no matter how big or small! You will be completely supported throughout your time at CCH.

Will it even be worth it

Absolutely! Studying the Masters in Obesity Care and Management prepares you for the challenges that patients with obesity can present. The course gives you the tools, skills and confidence to provide your patients with the best evidence-based obesity care and weight management.

What can I do after studying?

The MSc Obesity Care and Management prepares health professionals for a leadership role within weight and obesity management. This includes: GPs, doctors, nurses, physicians, surgeons, physiotherapists, dieticians, psychologists, and counsellors running weight management clinics. On completing the MSc you will have the knowledge and skills to further improve patient care which could enhance your future career progression.

MPs calling for reduction in multi-buy offers

A group of MPs have urged the government that more must be done to reduce the number of multi-buy offers on unhealthy foods to help curb childhood obesity. Further to this, they say that rules on junk food advertising must get more stringent and clear, claiming that the current obesity plan set forth by the government is too vague. The British government announced a childhood obesity plan in 2016, one of the main points was the sugar tax, however many in the wider health community have criticised this plan saying that there must be more action.

In the latest Health Select Committee report, the MPs are calling for more to be done to stop big discounts on unhealthy food and therefore halt their promotion towards children. This comes after evidence from the food industry that responsible retailers are being undercut by those who continue to offer attractive discounts. Whilst some supermarket chains have reduced the number of deals that they promote, many others are still pushing theirs forward. The British Retail Consortium has stated that there will have to be industry-wide agreement if junk food promotions were to be reduced, and this is an incredibly difficult thing to implement.

The MPs also suggested that more must be done to stop junk food advertisements to children. Currently, these types of adverts are banned during programmes that are aimed at children, the MPs suggest that they should be banned during all programmes that children might watch as well. They go on to propose that the sugar tax should extend to milk-based products that are currently excluded but still contain added sugar. Whilst they are aware that many of these plans are ambitious, they are keen to point out that more must be done to stop the development of childhood obesity, and only by implementing new plans and strategies can this be achieved.

World Cancer Research Fund’s cancer prevention package!

Did you know that being overweight or obese increases the risk of developing 11 different types of cancer? In fact, after not smoking, being a healthy weight is the most important thing people can do to reduce your cancer risk.

As part of the CCH network, you can take advantage of World Cancer Research Fund’s cancer prevention package! – This FREE package will help you to raise awareness of cancer prevention and support people who want to reduce their cancer risk.

The free package includes:

• Access to online cancer prevention training (worth £45)
• A free bundle of publications, including booklets, leaflets and posters plus a 50% discount on future orders
• Subscription to Informed, a cancer prevention newsletter which mails every four months
• Updates on the latest cancer prevention news and health information resources

“Working together we can beat cancer”– Community Health Trainer

Click here! – to get your free resources and training.

Please note that the package is only available to health professionals based in the UK. 
If you have any questions about World Cancer Research Fund’s cancer prevention package please contact them on 020 7343 4200 or [email protected]

APPG Meeting Monday 5th December 2016

On Monday the 5th of December, the Obesity APPG and guests, including CCH, were invited to meet at the Houses of Parliament in Westminster to discuss the government’s proposed sugar levy. Before opening the floor to questions and comments from the audience, 2 speakers from their respective institutions, described their stance on the levy, what their institutions had previously implemented in regards to public health, and what else needed to happen in order to make this particular public health initiative a success.

The first of the speakers was from Coca-Cola. He described Coca-Cola’s history with reformulation and how the creation of new beverages, such as Diet Coke and Coke Zero, have removed sugar from their ingredients entirely. He also described that without being asked, Coca -Cola had slowly been reducing the sugar content of their regular drinks for the last couple of decades, eliminating tons worth of sugar from the UK’s national diet. He also described how the Diet and Zero versions of their brands now outsell their “regular” counterparts by a ratio of 60 to 40, a concerted effort by Coca-Cola to reduce national sugar consumption. While not entirely opposed to the ban, he thought it was unfair to specifically target soft drinks and not other consumer goods like flavoured milk or juices that contain as much sugar, if not more, than soft drinks, or even food with excessive quantities of added sugar. He stated sugary drinks account for less than 4% of the daily calorie intake in the teenage age group, who are the biggest group of consumers of soft drinks. The point was also made that during the time in which Coca-Cola were reducing their sugar content, without government pressure, obesity in fact rose between 3-4%.

The next speaker was a member of British Retail Consortium (BRC), a representative body for the retail sector in the UK, which encompasses major supermarkets, food-to-go and also clothing retailers. He said that the BRC have a distinct position on many of the elements of the obesity plan, but the main element they were focusing on that day was the voluntary targets around sugar reduction. The BRC representative stated that there needs to be a focus on sugar, but agreed with the Coca-Cola representative that there’s a risk with focusing too much on sugar because it negates the responsibility to potentially focus on other unhealthy nutrients like salt and saturated fats, but recognised the core element of this plan was going to be sugar. Not only did the BRC have concerns about focusing too much on sugar, they also had concerns with the voluntary nature of the sugar reduction targets based on their experience with the public health field. Having a voluntary target means that there was no major reduction in sugar consumption, and from a retailer’s perspective there was a competitive disadvantage as some retailers discovered that they were seeing a fall in sales. The BRC was not totally in favour of mandatory targets, but if the government are going to implement targets, they should be mandatory and not voluntary as they are most effective that way. If you want to have a reduction across the board, you have to have a level playing field and draw a line in the sand. You have to state what the target is, and everyone has got to work towards it or it presents an unfair challenge with those willing to oblige and those who aren’t.

The question was then proposed, how do you think the government could provide better support for teachers and to schools to reduce the childhood obesity rate, and should more focus be placed upon physical activity? The Coca Cola representative suggested that schools provide a mostly healthy balanced diet, and the quality of dietary advice at schools has improved, and it’s when the child is at home or on holidays where they lose their fitness, and they begin to struggle with staying healthy and fit and perhaps more emphasis should be placed on habits at home.

Elaine Wyllie, the founder of the child’s activity initiative The Daily Mile Foundation, spoke about how there was too much emphasis on diet, which she acknowledged was very important, but still not enough emphasis on physical activity. She described how the idea for The Daily Mile was conceived while working as a head teacher in Edinburgh. Elaine noticed that many of the children at the school were unfit and were becoming more overweight as they progressed through primary school. She took a class of students out to the school’s field and many of them were almost instantly out of breath. After a few weeks of physical activity, just running around the school’s yard for 15 minutes, there was a distinct and very noticeable difference in the fitness and performance of students.

The main conclusion that was drawn from the event was that there is no one single way in which to tackle the obesity crisis. The obesity crisis is a problem that has multiple factors and facets that need to be approached in all manner of different ways, but it was mostly a consensus that sugar was certainly a contributor to the crisis, and that the sugar taxes’ implementation, while not perfect, was mostly a good thing.

7 reasons to consider an Obesity Care and Weight Management course

We have spoken quite a bit about the need for Obesity Education and Training.

Today, I would like to share with you the top 7 reasons some of our students chose to study Obesity Care and Management with CCH online.

The effects of lack of sleep!

Did you know that an important consideration when treating a patient with overweight and obesity is, sleep apnoea?

Obesity is a major risk factor for the increased incidence of sleep apnoea. Sleep apnoea is a sleep disorder characterised by pauses in breathing or periods of shallow breathing during sleep.

As a person gains weight, especially in the trunk and neck area, the risk of sleep-disordered breathing increases due to compromised respiratory function. As it disrupts normal sleep, those affected are often sleepy or tired during the day.

Diabetes Professional Care 2016

This year’s 2016 Diabetes Professional Care conference was a hugely successful event. Held in London’s Kensington Olympia, many of the diabetic care industry innovators, specialists and thought leaders converged to share their knowledge and spread awareness of this increasingly prevalent and life-changing disease. The second ever instalment of this free-to-attend, CPD accredited exhibition included keynote presentations from NHS England and The Diabetes Think Tank, both of which were thoroughly engaging and informative, as well as many other presenters who demonstrated their passion and vision for the future of diabetes care.

When not attending one of the many talks or discussions over the course of the two days, attendees were given the opportunity to expose themselves to companies, their products, and representatives to get a feel for the field as a whole, covering the full diabetes spectrum from technologies, commissioning, diagnostics and prevention, to paediatrics, primary and secondary care. As well as being a great place for healthcare professionals to learn, the 2016 DPC provided a great chance to build invaluable relationships and network with those who share the same expertise and passion for diabetes care.

CCH made a great showing at the DPC and provided information to the attendees about the importance of education in the fight against diabetes and the best, and most compassionate, ways in which to care for patients. Although CCH is a fully online educational institute, it doesn’t mean we don’t relish the opportunity to meet some of our students. Conferences like the 2016 DPC always attract the best and brightest in their field, so it’s no surprise to meet CCH students at an excellent event like this, and this year’s DPC provided us with the opportunity to meet CCH student, Dr. Sandhu. Dr. Sandhu is a GP based in Southall involved with many local charities, but what is most inspiring about her is her commitment to her continued pursuit of knowledge, and her ambition of achieving what’s best for her patients. She demonstrates how learning is something that continues throughout life, especially in today’s rapidly changing world.

The great atmosphere and experience of the 2016 DPC will ensure that CCH will eagerly anticipate, and make a strong presence, at next year’s 2017 DPC! We hope to see you there!

Black Friday Offer for Fitness Professionals

Do you know how many calories are in your Thanksgiving dinner?

According to ABC news, the average calorie intake at a Thanksgiving dinner is 4500 calories!

And, if you add your leftover turkey sandwich to the equation, that’s another 450 calories!
In order to burn off 85 calories you have to walk one mile at a brisk pace, so to burn off that incredible Thanksgiving feast, the drinks, and that left over turkey sandwich, you’ll have to walk 60 miles!

Don’t let that discourage you however, as Thanksgiving is a time to enjoy yourself and the company of your friends and family, and reflect on all you are thankful for.

From everyone at CCH, Happy Thanksgiving!

World Diabetes Day 2016

One in two adults currently living with diabetes is undiagnosed. This World Diabetes Day, the International Diabetes Federation are asking: individuals who may be at risk of type 2 diabetes, people living with diabetes, diabetes associations and health professionals to take action to help identify people with undiagnosed type 2 diabetes and those at risk of developing it in the future. The aim of identifying those at risk is to ensure early diagnosis, and therefore early treatment, of diabetes associated complications, such as blindness.

CCH attend Southwark’s Great Weight Debate

On Tuesday 01 November 2016, The College of Contemporary Health attended the Great Weight Debate hosted by Southwark Council at Cambridge House.

Paul Stokes, Head of Southwark Public Health, opened the busy meeting by introducing its ultimate goal: to engage with stakeholders and the public in order to find new approaches to tackle obesity. Southwark council, as revealed by Councillor Maisie Anderson, has some of the highest rates of overweight and obesity in the UK. 56% of adults and 46% of children in the borough are either overweight or obese. These percentages put the borough at the top of the UK obesity league tables. The impact of obesity in the borough is devastating.

Therefore, the council has endeavoured to develop a comprehensive ‘Healthy Weight Strategy’ aiming to significantly reduce levels of overweight and obesity by 2020.

Russel Carter, a consultant in Public Health, introduced the strategy, which is focussed on prevention and relies on four key principles:

1. Life-course but prioritising children and early years
2. Family focused
3. Whole systems approach
4. Prevention and treatment

He reinforced that the strategy should be everybody’s business and that the main objective of this meeting was to discuss the strategy with the various stakeholders and get people engaged and involved.

The strategy is split into the following four parts.

The remainder of the meeting was filled with talks describing examples of some of the current initiatives that implement the measures above.

Sue Amos introduced the benefits of gardening; Sue started the Burgess Park Food Project to work with the local community to increase understanding of healthy fresh food, promote food growing and bring people together. Many studies have shown the positive effects of gardening on people’s health and BMI. In fact, the World Cancer Research Fund suggests that people who engage in 30 minutes of gardening can burn up to 145 calories.

Lee Souter discussed the Healthy Schools Partnership initiative. Lee started his talk by engaging the audience with a lively debate on whether girls or boys were better at sport. The audience concluded that there wasn’t a simple answer and that it depended on a variety of factors.

The program aims to invest in educating children in their formative years to prevent suffering, reduce inequality, create healthy and productive adults, and deliver social and economic dividends to the nation. So far there have been numerous achievements including Comber Grove school (Silver Healthy School) and Robert Browning school (Gold Healthy School).

The next talk was by Jane Love who introduced, the UNICEF baby friendly initiative. The initiative supports mothers to be able to initiate and sustain exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months and ensure the timely introduction of adequate, and safe, complementary foods with continued breast feeding of up to two years or beyond. But why does breastfeeding matter? According to, Jane Love, it saves lives, improves health, cuts costs and is associated with a 13% reduction in obesity.

Finally, Dr Zoe Williams spoke about how obesity does not affect all groups equally and went on to discuss what is available in Southwark for obesity prevention and management. There are a number of Tier 2 services and a Tier 3 service is in development. Southwark does also have access to two hospitals that offer bariatric surgery (Tier 4).

In fact, Southwark is the first borough in South East London to be creating a Tier 3 Service. The service will apply a multidisciplinary, clinically led team approach including: nutrition, physical activity and psychological components.

A study done on Southwark patients, or service users, as they preferred to be called, revealed that patients thought that there was a great need for NHS weight management services, and that they were often put off by commercial weight loss programs. They praised the fact that everything would be under one roof and were keen for a self-referral option.

Finally, as part of getting everyone involved, there were two workshops for the attendees where they were asked what else could be done to strengthen the strategy. The main take home messages from these workshops were, that since obesity is strongly linked to inequalities, a targeted approach to those suffering inequalities, and the need for training of healthcare professionals, was echoed across the room.

The Great Weight Debate is a Healthy London Partnership initiative and everyone can be involved.

Please visit their website and spend 2 minutes completing a survey on Childhood Obesity.