Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham, Edgbaston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will publish a breakdown of the number of people on waiting lists for tier 3 weight management services by (a) Integrated Care Board area and (b) NHS trust.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning tier three specialist weight management services (SWMS). These services are generally aimed at those living with severe obesity and associated co-morbidities. They provide support through a tailored programme of care from multidisciplinary teams able to assess and work with patients to establish the most suitable care, considering psychological, behavioural, dietary drivers, as well as underlying disordered eating or compulsions. These tier three SWMS are primarily delivered in secondary care, with occasional specialist primary and community-based provision.
In 2021, during the pandemic, NHS England oversaw a SWMS mapping exercise, via voluntary ICB and trust submission, to inform the COVID-19 recovery plan. Overall findings at the time suggested 37 out of 42 ICBs were commissioning provision of tier three SWMS, with approximately 35,000 patients in England accessing services. However, capacity constraints indicated an estimated 12,000 patients waiting to access services, with an average waiting time of six months nationally. ICBs who participated in the voluntary mapping exercise did not consent to the publication of identifiable information. NHS England does not routinely capture specific data on waiting times to access tier three SWMS.
Asked by: Taiwo Owatemi (Labour - Coventry North West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the National Institute for Health Research is funding research projects relating to thyroid disorders as of 26 February 2024.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government funds research on thyroid disorders via the Department through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The NIHR funds and supports research into thyroid disorders through its research infrastructure, namely facilities, services and research workforce, and its research programmes. This includes research on the broad range of conditions that may affect the function of the thyroid gland, including hypo- and hyper-thyroidism, thyroid cancer and thyroid removal following surgery.
An example of NIHR research is a study investigating the risks of developing obesity, cardio-metabolic conditions, and risk of death in a cohort of 25,000 newly diagnosed patients with hyperthyroidism, and to compare the risks of these outcomes between all three modalities used to treat hyperthyroidism.
The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health including thyroid disorders and applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made based on the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. It is not usual practice for the NIHR to ring fence funds for particular topics or conditions.
Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential economic benefits of reducing the prevalence of sight loss.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The benefits of reducing sight loss for both the economy and an individual’s quality of life are clear. That is why prevention, early detection, and timely treatment are essential. In England, over 12 million free National Health Service sight tests are provided annually. Diabetic retinopathy screening is also offered annually to individuals aged 12 years old or over, with diabetes. The Government also has well established programmes on reducing smoking and obesity, both long terms risk factors for sight loss.
NHS England’s transformation programme is considering how eye care services should be commissioned for the future, to improve access to care and patient outcomes. The National Institute for Health and Care Research also continues to invest to support research into the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of eye conditions.
Asked by: Simon Lightwood (Labour (Co-op) - Wakefield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to increase access to NHS-provided weight loss surgery in the Mid Yorkshire NHS Trust.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning National Health Service specialist and bariatric weight management services. Rates of bariatric surgery fell across West Yorkshire during the pandemic as hospitals focused on surgeries that were more clinically urgent. More patients are, however, starting to receive treatment again. To speed up access to surgery, the West Yorkshire Association of Acute Trusts, which includes the Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust, are working to ensure that people who have been waiting the longest times are offered the opportunity to have their surgery at an alternative hospital, if they wish.
Additionally, local areas and care providers in West Yorkshire are working together to review obesity and bariatric surgery commissioning policies and processes to ensure that they are providing care in the best and most efficient way possible, to make the most of resources and to offer treatment to more people who need it.
Asked by: Peter Gibson (Conservative - Darlington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to tackle liver disease in the North East.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Northern Cancer Alliance is supporting services to enable the early detection of liver disease across the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care System (ICS). More than 80% of patients with liver cirrhosis, a type of liver disease, have been invited to monthly ultrasound surveillance. This investment has also included £30,000 for the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust who will be using their funds to improve systems in relation to call and recall of patients to their six-monthly checks.
Liver disease has several causes and can be associated with alcohol use or being overweight. The Government is investing significant amounts year on year in alcohol treatment through our 10-year drug strategy. In 2024/2025 the North East will receive a further £27 million, beyond funding provided by the Public Health Grant. Partners are also using a whole system approach to develop a healthy weight and treating obesity strategy for the North East and North Cumbria.
The Department is supporting people with alcohol dependency through the Drug Strategy and NHS Long Term Plan by facilitating more people in need of treatment into local authority commissioned alcohol treatment services. Additional treatment and recovery funding, made available through the Drug Strategy, can also be used to increase capacity for screening for liver fibrosis in treatment settings and to establish effective referral pathways into treatment for liver disease.
Asked by: David Evennett (Conservative - Bexleyheath and Crayford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much the NHS has spent on treating obesity-related diseases in each of the last five years.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It was estimated that in 2021 obesity related ill-health cost the National Health Service £6.5 billion annually.
The NHS is committed to improving obesity care and other major causes of ill health through a preventive approach as outlined in the NHS’s Long Term Plan. It continues to offer support to the population, enabling them to take greater control of their own health and stay healthy for longer.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to tackle obesity in people under 25 years old.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are delivering an ambitious programme of work to create a healthier environment to help people achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
Regulations on out of home calorie labelling for food sold in large businesses, including restaurants, cafes, and takeaways, came into force in April 2022. Restrictions on the placement of products high in fat, sugar or salt in key selling locations, came into force on 1 October 2022. We will be implementing restrictions on the sale of less healthy products by volume price such as ‘buy one get one free’ or ‘3 for 2’ and will introduce restrictions on the advertising of less healthy products before 9pm on TV and paid for less healthy product advertising online from 1 October 2025.
We are working with the food industry to ensure it is easier for the public to make healthier choices and make further progress on reformulation. In addition, the Food Data Transparency Partnership will help enable and encourage food companies to voluntarily demonstrate progress on the healthiness of their sales.
We are also supporting more than three million children through the Healthy Foods Schemes and helping schools boost physical activity to help children maintain a healthy weight and good overall health through the Primary School PE and Sport Premium and the School Games Organiser Network. In addition, local authorities and the National Health Service provide weight management services to support their communities to achieve and maintain a healthier weight.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Batley and Spen)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to support research into thyroid diseases; and what steps she is taking to support patients with hypothyroidism.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department funds research on health and social care through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including thyroid disease. It is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions.
NIHR funds and supports research into hyperthyroidism through its research infrastructure and research programmes, a current example being a study investigating the risks of developing obesity, cardio-metabolic conditions, and risk of death in a cohort of 25,000 newly diagnosed patients with hyperthyroidism, and to compare the risks of these outcomes between all three modalities used to treat hyperthyroidism.
Health services for people with hypothyroidism are commissioned locally by integrated care boards (ICBs), which are best placed to make decisions regarding the provision of health services to their local population subject to local prioritisation and funding. In doing so, we expect ICBs to have due regard to relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and other guidance when commissioning services.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of childhood obesity levels in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London; and what steps his Department is taking to tackle childhood obesity in each of those areas.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) collects data on children aged four to five years old (Reception) and 10 to 11 years old (Year 6). The following table shows data from the NCMP on the percentage of children living with obesity in Reception and Year 6 in the academic year 2022-23. Data is not available at Parliamentary constituency level but is available at local authority and regional levels:
Area | Reception (%) | Year 6 (%) |
Enfield | 10.8 | 28.0 |
London | 9.3 | 24.8 |
Local authorities and the National Health Service provide weight management services to support children and families to achieve and maintain a healthier weight. Local authorities can fund behavioural weight management services from their Public Health Grant.
In England, new regulations on out-of-home calorie labelling for food sold in large businesses, including restaurants, cafes, and takeaways, came into force in April 2022. Restrictions on the placement of less healthy products in key selling locations in store and online came into force in October 2022. The location restrictions are the single most impactful obesity policy in reducing children’s calorie consumption and are expected to accrue health benefits of over £57 billion and provide savings to the NHS of over £4 billion over the next 25 years.
We are also working with the food industry to make further progress on reformulation and ensure it is easier for the public to make healthier choices. We have seen important successes including the average sugar content of drinks subject to the Soft Drinks Industry Levy decreasing by 46% between 2015 and 2020. There has also been success in some categories of the sugar reduction programme, including a 14.9% reduction of sugar in retailer- and manufacturer-branded breakfast cereals and a 13.5% reduction in yogurts and fromage frais.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham, Edgbaston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the total number of patients in England that NHS weight management services has capacity to provide semaglutide treatment for in the next 12 months.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends that Wegovy (semaglutide) should only be used in the National Health Service within a specialist weight management service, including but not limited to tier 3 and 4 services. NHS specialist weight management services are generally hospital based. We do not have an estimate of the capacity of these services to provide semaglutide treatment for in the next 12 months.
On 7 June 2023, the Government announced pilots to explore ways to make obesity drugs safely available to more patients living with obesity outside of hospital settings. If successful, these pilots could increase the number of patients who can benefit from these treatments.