Weight-related Interventions Tailored in Care for Health (SWITCH)

You will receive an invitation to register for the Patients Know Best online portal via email, SMS text message or posted letter. If you haven’t received this information, you will need to provide your email address by emailing your SWITCH booking team.

If you are under the Newcastle North PCN Dietitian, you can provide your email address by emailing Carrie.Eckersley@nhs.net 

If you live in Stoke, you can provide your email address by emailing mpft.longtermconditions@mpft.nhs.uk 

If you live in Cannock, Tamworth or Burton, you can provide your email address by emailing adult.dietetics@mpft.nhs.uk

Yes. As this is an online service, to access the portal, you or a carer will require regular internet access to receive your letters and use any additional features.

If you want a family member or carer to have access to your portal record, they can be added in the ‘Sharing’ section. This will allow them to set up their own account and allow you to control the level of access they have to your record. For more information, visit the Patient's Know Best manual webpage.

• Visit the step by step guide to help you register using your NHS login.
• After registering you can use Patients Know Best via the NHS App.

No, there is no cost to you. Using the portal will help us to reduce costs such as paper and postage which can be reinvested to provide better care. 

Using the digital portal requires you to 'opt in'. If you would prefer to not interact with the hospital in a digital way, you can inform your dietician upon referral. 

Using the Patients Know Best online portal, you can message the SWITCH team directly. This is not an emergency service and messages into the SWITCH team will be picked up weekly. 

If you need to cancel an appoitnment:

At the earliest notice, you should contact the SWITCH team to let them know. You can message the team directly though the Patients Know Best online portal. Alternatively, you can email the team via the relevant email addresses outlined below, or contact MPFT reception on 0300 790 7000.

• If you are under the Newcastle North PCN Dietitian: Carrie.Eckersley@nhs.net 
• If you live in Stoke-on-Trent: mpft.longtermconditions@mpft.nhs.uk 
• If you live in Cannock, Tamworth or Burton: adult.dietetics@mpft.nhs.uk

Please note, late notice of cancellations may be deemed as a 'missed appointment'.

If you miss an appoitment:

• Non-attendance of appointments may result in discharge from SWITCH.
• You may be contacted if you have missed an appointment and offered an alternative appointment if the reason for the missed appointment is deemed justifiable.
• Repeated missed appointments will result in discharge from SWITCH.

Yes. The Patients Know Best software meets NHS requirements for health record systems and is fully compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Only the minimum level of data necessary to verify you has been uploaded. All personal and health information stored is encrypted.

For technical issues please email the technical team at PKB help@patientsknowbest.com, or complete this form. Do not share any personal or clinical information with the team at Patients Know Best.

You can find health and wellbeing and weight management service available to you in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent on our local weight management services webpage. 

Supporting information for the SWITCH connector role, including expectations in practice.

Continuing professional development

Healthy Weight Coach - elearning for healthcare 

All Our Health - elearning for healthcare

Course: Obesity Hub | RCGP Learning

Explore Obesity- expert learning and online resources

The Strategic Centre for Obesity Professional Education (SCOPE) World Obesity Federation

Practice-based Evidence in Nutrition (PEN)

NNEdPro Global Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health

Introduction to the BOMSS GP Hub

Supporting healthcare professionals to promote physical activity: Physical Activity Clinical Champions | Sheffield Hallam University (shu.ac.uk)

Course: Challenging weight stigma learning hub | PHS Learning (publichealthscotland.scot)

The Science of Obesity (obesity Canada)

Your new favourite podcast - Unlearn to Learn | World Obesity Federation

Communication  

Parliamentary+Language+Guidelines+2022.pdf 

EASO Talking about weight- guidance for GP's and healthcare professionals

5As of obesity management - Obesity Canada

Everyone Health Staffordshire- Make Every Contact Count (MECC)

Adult weight management: short conversations with patients - GOV.UK

Talking with Your Patients about Weight - NIDDK

Supportive and effective conversations about weight management referrals — Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford

Language, Bias and Stigma

ASO Position Statement: Weight stigma and discrimination | The Association for the Study of Obesity

Eliminating weight stigma - guidelines for BDA communications

Language Matters: Obesity

How and why weight stigma drives the obesity ‘epidemic’ and harms health | BMC Medicine | Full Text (biomedcentral.com)

Weight stigma - Staffordshire County Council

Weight Bias - Obesity Canada

Reducing Weight Bias in Obesity Management, Practice & Policy - Obesity Canada

Course: Challenging weight stigma learning hub | PHS Learning (publichealthscotland.scot)

Policy and Guidelines

Adult obesity: applying All Our Health - GOV.UK

Overview | Obesity: identification, assessment and management | Guidance | NICE

Home - Obesity Health Alliance

Physical activity guidelines - GOV.UK

Pledges & Declarations

A pledge to end the social stigma of obesity - King's College London

Food Active | NHS Declaration on Healthy Weight