Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of reports about the pricing structure of weight-loss medications used in the NHS, (1) what discussions they have had with Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, and (2) what steps they are taking to ensure that costs do not exacerbate regional inequalities in access to treatment.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Commercial access agreements, including confidential discounts, are negotiated to secure affordability and value for money for the National Health Service, and to enable access to clinically effective treatments that may not otherwise meet cost effectiveness thresholds at list price. As is standard across NHS medicines commissioning, the specific terms of commercial agreements remain confidential to protect the NHS’s negotiating position and to ensure best value for public funds.

NHS England, alongside the Department and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, routinely engages with pharmaceutical companies, including Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, through standard market access and appraisal processes, and commercial and supply discussions following NICE recommendations, and ongoing dialogue on implementation, demand management, and system readiness. NHS England does not comment publicly on the detail of individual commercial negotiations.

For weight management medicines, NHS England is supporting implementation via a phased and prioritised rollout approach. Prioritising populations with the greatest clinical need aligns with NHS objectives to reduce health inequalities.

NHS England is working with regions and integrated care boards to support consistent implementation of national policy, and to address unwarranted variation through guidance, oversight, and data monitoring. These approaches are designed to ensure that cost pressures do not drive postcode-based inequities, while enabling the safe and sustainable introduction of new treatments at scale.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to increase transparency around commercial pricing agreements for new weight-loss medications within the NHS, including how pricing decisions reflect anticipated long-term clinical and economic outcomes.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Commercial access agreements, including confidential discounts, are negotiated to secure affordability and value for money for the National Health Service, and to enable access to clinically effective treatments that may not otherwise meet cost effectiveness thresholds at list price. As is standard across NHS medicines commissioning, the specific terms of commercial agreements remain confidential to protect the NHS’s negotiating position and to ensure best value for public funds.

NHS England, alongside the Department and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, routinely engages with pharmaceutical companies, including Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, through standard market access and appraisal processes, and commercial and supply discussions following NICE recommendations, and ongoing dialogue on implementation, demand management, and system readiness. NHS England does not comment publicly on the detail of individual commercial negotiations.

For weight management medicines, NHS England is supporting implementation via a phased and prioritised rollout approach. Prioritising populations with the greatest clinical need aligns with NHS objectives to reduce health inequalities.

NHS England is working with regions and integrated care boards to support consistent implementation of national policy, and to address unwarranted variation through guidance, oversight, and data monitoring. These approaches are designed to ensure that cost pressures do not drive postcode-based inequities, while enabling the safe and sustainable introduction of new treatments at scale.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of reports that the provision of weight management support in the NHS is limited, (1) what assessment they have made of the adequacy of existing GP training in obesity management, and (2) what steps they are taking to embed evidence-based obesity education, including behavioural and psychological approaches, into GP specialty training curricula.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring that the National Health Service workforce is provided with high-quality training to support them to deliver quality care to patients living with obesity.

The curricula for postgraduate specialty training are developed by royal colleges and faculties and approved by the General Medical Council. Standards of education and proficiency are the responsibility of the statutorily independent professional regulators.

Individual employers are responsible for appropriate ongoing training and continuing professional development to ensure they continue to provide safe and effective care. NHS England and other organisations support employers and the NHS workforce by providing and signposting to evidence‑based training resources on weight management. These include programmes that incorporate behavioural approaches, and in some cases psychological elements, available through platforms such as e‑Learning for Healthcare, the Royal College of General Practitioners Obesity Hub, and the Strategic Centre for Obesity Professional Education programme.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that all members of the NHS workforce, including psychologists, dietitians, nurses, and pharmacists, receive mandatory training on weight management support, recognising obesity as a life-long relapsing condition.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring that the National Health Service workforce is provided with high-quality training to support them to deliver quality care to patients living with obesity.

The curricula for postgraduate specialty training are developed by royal colleges and faculties and approved by the General Medical Council. Standards of education and proficiency are the responsibility of the statutorily independent professional regulators.

Individual employers are responsible for appropriate ongoing training and continuing professional development to ensure they continue to provide safe and effective care. NHS England and other organisations support employers and the NHS workforce by providing and signposting to evidence‑based training resources on weight management. These include programmes that incorporate behavioural approaches, and in some cases psychological elements, available through platforms such as e‑Learning for Healthcare, the Royal College of General Practitioners Obesity Hub, and the Strategic Centre for Obesity Professional Education programme.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to discuss future plans for services for autistic people with (1) Ambitious about Autism, (2) Autistica, (3) Autism Action, (4) the National Autistic Society, and (5) Autism Alliance UK.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We remain committed to working together across Government and with national autism charities to improve services and outcomes for autistic people.

On 23 January, we published our response to the House of Lords Autism Act 2009 Inquiry Committee’s report Time to deliver: The Autism Act 2009 and the new autism strategy. We are carefully considering the report’s recommendations as well as our approach to the national autism strategy and will set out a position, including our plans to engage with stakeholders, in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to develop a new national autism strategy.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Autism Act 2009 places a duty on my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to consult on, publish, and keep under review a national strategy for meeting the needs of autistic adults in England. My Rt Hon. Friend may choose to revise the strategy, and if so, must publish it as revised.

On 23 January 2026, we published our response to the House of Lords Autism Act 2009 Inquiry Committee’s report Time to deliver: The Autism Act 2009 and the new autism strategy. We are carefully considering the report’s recommendations, as well as our approach to developing a new national autism strategy and will set out a position in due course. The current strategy will remain in effect until a revised strategy is published.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what proposals they intend to take forward in the 10 Year Health Plan for England in relation to services for autistic people.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The 10-Year Health Plan sets out to make the National Health Service fit for the future, by delivering three big shifts, from hospital to care in community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention. The plan will help to address health inequalities for disabled and autistic people by improving access to care, delivering care closer to home, and supporting the development of holistic care plans for those whose needs may require support from multiple health and care providers. We want autistic people’s access to, and experience of, healthcare services to be equitable, effective, and responsive to their needs.

The plan sets out the core principle of early intervention and support, including without the need for diagnosis, including specifically for children and young people, such as those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). It is clear about the importance of health services working in partnership with education settings and providing children and young people with early intervention and support to avoid needs escalating, where possible, building on learning from programmes such as Early Language Support for Every Child. We will set out our proposals for SEND reform in the upcoming Schools White Paper.

NHS England continues to support local systems to use a national framework and operational guidance to deliver improved outcomes in all-age autism assessment pathways. It has published national guidance on meeting the needs of autistic adults in mental health services and, to address physical health inequalities, is currently testing a combined health check in primary care for autistic people, those with a severe mental health condition and/or those people with a learning disability.