Rishi Sunak Announces £40 Million Pilot Scheme to Combat Obesity

Strategic Insights -

The UK Government aims to tackle the rising health problems and £6.5 billion cost to the NHS of obesity by increasing access to specialist weight management services. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced a £40 million pilot scheme to explore the use of new drugs to combat obesity, with a focus on making it easier to access weight-loss treatments through GPs. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has approved the use of appetite suppressant Wegovy, but only for specialist services.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Government wants to tackle the £6.5 billion cost to the NHS of obesity by making it easier to access weight-loss treatments through GPs.
  • The £40 million pilot scheme aims to explore the use of new drugs to combat obesity, including Wegovy, a weight-loss injection popular with celebrities.
  • The pilot will look at how GPs can safely prescribe the drugs and how the NHS can provide support in the community or online.
  • Officials say evidence from clinical trials shows that people taking a weight-loss drug can lose up to 15% of their body weight after one year.
  • There were over 1 million admissions to NHS hospitals in 2019/2020 where obesity was a factor, making it one of the leading contributors to conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer.
  • The weight-related conditions that make obese people eligible for the treatment include type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, high blood pressure, dyslipidaemia, obstructive sleep apnoea, and heart disease.
  • Pharmaceutical treatments offer a new way of helping people with obesity gain a healthier weight, and the pilot will help determine if these medicines can be used safely and effectively in non-hospital settings.
  • Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, says that shifting some of the care of obesity safely into primary care is worth exploring, but this would need to be matched with sufficient resource and funding.

Statistics:

  • The cost of obesity to the NHS is £6.5 billion.
  • There were over 1 million admissions to NHS hospitals in 2019/2020 where obesity was a factor.
  • People taking a weight-loss drug can lose up to 15% of their body weight after one year.
  • The weight-related conditions that make obese people eligible for the treatment include type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, high blood pressure, dyslipidaemia, obstructive sleep apnoea, and heart disease.
  • The pilot scheme will invest £40 million over two years.

Sources:

  • https://www.gov.uk/
  • https://www.nice.org.uk/
  • https://www.nhs.uk/
  • https://www.rcgp.org.uk/