Government to pilot new obesity services to 'ease pressure on GPs'

The Government has announced a pilot to test new ways to support patients living with obesity, in a bid to ‘ease pressures’ on general practice.

ICBs will be asked to submit bids to pilot ‘innovative models of care’ for people living with obesity, outside of existing specialist weight management services, including wraparound services, obesity treatments and digital tools.

The Government said that improving the health of patients living with obesity ‘will help to ease pressure on GPs’ and the NHS, as well as helping more people living with obesity ‘to participate fully in work’.

It will contribute up to £50m of investment in the pilots, and Lilly, the pharmaceutical company behind weight loss medication tirzepatide (Mounjaro), will contribute up to £35m of grant funding.

The pilots could be in place as early as next summer and the Government said this will help bring down the £11bn annual cost to the NHS of supporting patients living with obesity.

It comes after the 10-year plan pledged to make weight-loss jabs available to the poorest who have the highest need.

The plan said that the NHS will partner with industry to deliver GLP-1 medications like tirzepatide and semaglutide through a range of innovative models under an ‘ambitious moonshot’ approach.

Patients may be able to access them online or via high street pharmacies under the proposals to offer ‘fast and equitable’ treatment.

Today’s announcement mentions that the services and treatments for obesity would be delivered ‘through new routes like pharmacies’.

But GP leaders told Pulse that this could result in increased referrals to GPs from pharmacies and other services, and that support for GPs as part of these pilots should not be overlooked.

Professor Azeem Majeed, head of the department of primary care and public health at Imperial College London, told Pulse that the pilots will not remove the need for primary care involvement.

He said: ‘Obesity is a complex condition often linked to other physical and mental health issues. Many patients will still need input from their GP or other staff in general practice for assessment, treatment of co-existing conditions, and ongoing support.

‘Hence, while this initiative may ease some pressure on GP surgeries, it will not remove the need for primary care involvement, and its overall impact will depend on how effectively the programmes are implemented and integrated with existing NHS GP services.

‘When new health services are introduced, it is important that they are funded and delivered through general practices whenever possible.

‘This promotes continuity of care and ensures that weight management is fully integrated into a patient’s overall health plan, rather than being managed in isolation through multiple, fragmented access points, which are likely to be less clinically effective and less cost-effective than an integrated approach delivered through general practice.’

Doctors’ Association UK GP spokesperson Dr Steve Taylor told Pulse it would be helpful to have increased support for GPs too to ensure patients are supported holistically.

He said: ‘Any support for patients to tackle issues around obesity is welcome. There appears to be a number of strategies being considered and GPs would welcome any support provided for the population.

‘There may be better ways to support specific patients with a full understanding of their health needs, there is likely to be an increase in referrals to GPs from pharmacies for this reason. Increased access in one area usually means greater need for GP services to support that access.’

NHS England national medical director Dr Claire Fuller said: ‘The NHS is already developing and rolling out a range of ways to help people to manage their weight and live healthier lives, with patients benefiting from wraparound care from local weight management teams and via online support services, but we are excited by the potential of this collaboration to accelerate efforts to tackle obesity as the NHS moves from treatment to prevention as part of the 10-year health plan.’

Health secretary Wes Streeting said: ‘Obesity is now one of the leading causes of ill health, costing the NHS billions. Yet, we now have the science, technology and knowledge to help tackle the obesity epidemic, if we seize this opportunity.

‘As we shift our focus from treatment to prevention with our 10-year health plan we are also determined to bring revolutionary modern care to everyone that needs it, not just those who can afford to pay.

‘This collaboration will help patients living with obesity in a matter of months – through testing better access to weight loss services and treatments.’

Last year, the Government, devolved nations and NHS England signed a collaboration agreement with Lilly, who agreed to invest a further £279m in the UK life sciences industry, in a bid to find new treatment models for major illnesses including obesity.

Eligible patients were meant to access Mounjaro for weight loss through primary care from June, but GPs have reported huge issues with the roll-out and in some areas the service is not expected to be in place until the autumn.