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 recent estimate he has made of the number of NHS patients who would be eligible to use Wegovy.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends that Wegovy, otherwise known as semaglutide, is used as an option in the National Health Service for weight management in adults that have at least one weight-related comorbidity and a body mass index (BMI) of at least 35.0 kg/m2, or a BMI of 30.0 kg/m2 to 34.9 kg/m2 and meet the criteria for referral to specialist weight management services in NICE’s clinical guideline on obesity: identification, assessment and management, which is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg189.
Wegovy is recommended for use within a specialist weight management service providing multidisciplinary management of overweight or obesity (including but not limited to tiers three and four).
The Department estimates that more people will be eligible for this treatment than could be treated if access is only available through specialist weight management services, which are primarily hospital-based services. That is why we have announced up to £40 million funding over two years to explore ways to make obesity drugs safely available to more patients living with obesity outside of hospital settings.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of reinstating the positions of National Clinical Director for (a) gastroenterology and (b) liver disease.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
A National Clinical Director provides clinical advice and leadership on the NHS England Internal Medicine Specialised Services portfolio, which includes specialised gastroenterology and liver disease. A National Speciality Advisor provides clinical advice more specifically to the hepatobiliary and pancreas programme.
The Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme has invested in clinical leadership in gastroenterology, which is one of its priority workstreams. The programme will be establishing a liver disease programme in 2024/25, including recruiting to a clinical lead role.
The National Clinical Director for Cancer is leading work on on-the-spot liver scans, that has already found that around one in ten people in communities visited have advanced liver damage that needs further monitoring or treatment as it could lead to liver cancer.
NHS England is funding preventative interventions that support individuals to reduce the harm caused by alcohol use and obesity. To support this work, NHS England has invested in a National Clinical Director for Diabetes & Obesity and a National Speciality Advisor for alcohol dependence.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
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) City of Durham constituency, (b) County Durham, (c) the North East and (d) England; and what steps his Department is taking to tackle childhood obesity in each of those areas.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
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 on obesity prevalence from the NCMP in the academic year 2022-23. Data is not available at Parliamentary constituency level but is available at local authority, regional and England levels:
Percentage of children living with obesity | ||
Area | Reception (%) | Year 6 (%) |
County Durham | 11.8 | 25.6 |
North East | 11.3 | 25.8 |
England | 9.2 | 22.7 |
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 National Health Service 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: Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the key incentives needed to achieve sustained long-term weight reduction in cases of obesity.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Local authorities and the National Health Service provide weight management services to support their communities to achieve and maintain a healthier weight. These services incentivise behaviour change, by encouraging the development of sustainable habits and fostering independence and self-management
Maintaining weight loss over the medium and long term is challenging in an environment where high saturated fat, salt and sugar food are readily available, marketed, and cheaper than healthier alternatives. That is why the Government is taking action to help people maintain a healthier weight such as: the introduction of out of home calorie labelling regulations for food sold in large businesses, including restaurants, cafes and takeaways; the introduction of restrictions on the promotion by location of less healthy products in key selling locations in store and online; and working with the food industry to make further progress on reformulation and making healthier choices easier.
The Government also launched ‘The Better Health: Rewards’ pilot in February 2023 for adults who live in Wolverhampton. This is an innovative app-based health intervention where participants can download an app, receive a free wearable fitness tracker, and can earn points for completing diet and physical activity challenges which they can redeem for rewards in an in-app store. This pilot is designed to test whether financial incentives can be used to support people to improve their diet and physical activity behaviour.
Asked by: Colleen Fletcher (Labour - Coventry North East)
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) Coventry North East constituency, (b) Coventry, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England; and what steps his Department is taking to tackle childhood obesity in each of those areas.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
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). Data on obesity prevalence from the NCMP in the academic year 2021-22 is provided in the table below. Data is not available at Parliamentary constituency level but is available at local authority, regional and England levels.
Percentage of children living with obesity | ||
Area | Reception (%) | Year 6 (%) |
Coventry | 10.4 | 26.7 |
West Midlands | 11.3 | 26.2 |
England | 10.1 | 23.4 |
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 on 1 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 NHS savings 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: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to provide people with access to (a) professional dietary (i) information and (ii) support and (b) weight control support.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
We are delivering an ambitious programme of work to create a healthier environment to help people achieve and maintain a healthy weight. 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 promotion by location of products high in fat, salt or sugar came into force in October 2022. 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.
Local authorities and the National Health Service provide weight management services to support their communities to achieve and maintain a healthier weight. A two-year pilot backed by up to £40 million will explore ways to make National Institute for Health and Care Excellence approved weight loss drugs accessible to patients living with obesity outside of hospital settings. This pilot, in conjunction with the obesity healthcare mission and its additional £20 million of Government research funding, will work together to create a continuum of support for the most promising technologies for the treatment of obesity and ensure the United Kingdom is a world-class location to trial, pilot and rollout innovation.
The Department will continue to work on cross Government strategies to help reduce inactivity levels in the population and help address health issues arising from weight related conditions. We are working with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the new Sport Strategy, which will include reducing inactivity levels and provide support for access to physical activity. We are also working with the Department for Education on the School Sport and Activity Action Plan to encourage more physical activity in children and young people in and out of school and helping schools to become healthier places.
The Department has also worked on the Moving Healthcare Professionals Programme with Sport England and NHS Horizons to help embed physical activity into the healthcare system and help healthcare professionals provide physical activity advice to their patients in order to assist them with maintaining a healthy weight and the prevention and management of chronic conditions.
Our Better Health resources including free evidence-based apps and tools, support people to make and sustain changes to improve their health. These include the NHS Weight Loss app, Food Scanner App, ‘Couch to 5K’ and ‘Active 10’. Since Summer 2020, over 13 million positive actions have been taken a result of Better Health adult obesity campaigns, helping people eating more healthily and increase physical activity. The Department is also currently running ‘Better Health: Rewards in Wolverhampton’, a digital health incentives pilot that supports users to improve their physical activity and diet through financial incentives.
The Government encourages everyone to have a healthy balanced diet in line with the UK’s healthy eating model, the Eatwell Guide, which shows that foods high in saturated fat, salt or sugar should be eaten less often or in small amounts. The Government continues to promote the Eatwell Guide principles through the NHS.UK, Better Health and Healthier Families websites.
Our Major Conditions Strategy call for evidence, which closed 27 June, sought views on how the healthcare system can support people to live healthier lives, including supporting them to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help people change (a) diet and (b) exercise to (i) achieve and (ii) maintain healthy BMI.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
We are delivering an ambitious programme of work to create a healthier environment to help people achieve and maintain a healthy weight. 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 promotion by location of products high in fat, salt or sugar came into force in October 2022. 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.
Local authorities and the National Health Service provide weight management services to support their communities to achieve and maintain a healthier weight. A two-year pilot backed by up to £40 million will explore ways to make National Institute for Health and Care Excellence approved weight loss drugs accessible to patients living with obesity outside of hospital settings. This pilot, in conjunction with the obesity healthcare mission and its additional £20 million of Government research funding, will work together to create a continuum of support for the most promising technologies for the treatment of obesity and ensure the United Kingdom is a world-class location to trial, pilot and rollout innovation.
The Department will continue to work on cross Government strategies to help reduce inactivity levels in the population and help address health issues arising from weight related conditions. We are working with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the new Sport Strategy, which will include reducing inactivity levels and provide support for access to physical activity. We are also working with the Department for Education on the School Sport and Activity Action Plan to encourage more physical activity in children and young people in and out of school and helping schools to become healthier places.
The Department has also worked on the Moving Healthcare Professionals Programme with Sport England and NHS Horizons to help embed physical activity into the healthcare system and help healthcare professionals provide physical activity advice to their patients in order to assist them with maintaining a healthy weight and the prevention and management of chronic conditions.
Our Better Health resources including free evidence-based apps and tools, support people to make and sustain changes to improve their health. These include the NHS Weight Loss app, Food Scanner App, ‘Couch to 5K’ and ‘Active 10’. Since Summer 2020, over 13 million positive actions have been taken a result of Better Health adult obesity campaigns, helping people eating more healthily and increase physical activity. The Department is also currently running ‘Better Health: Rewards in Wolverhampton’, a digital health incentives pilot that supports users to improve their physical activity and diet through financial incentives.
The Government encourages everyone to have a healthy balanced diet in line with the UK’s healthy eating model, the Eatwell Guide, which shows that foods high in saturated fat, salt or sugar should be eaten less often or in small amounts. The Government continues to promote the Eatwell Guide principles through the NHS.UK, Better Health and Healthier Families websites.
Our Major Conditions Strategy call for evidence, which closed 27 June, sought views on how the healthcare system can support people to live healthier lives, including supporting them to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to tackle obesity-related ill health in adults.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
We are delivering an ambitious programme of work to create a healthier environment to help people achieve and maintain a healthy weight. 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 promotion by location of products high in fat, salt or sugar came into force in October 2022. 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.
Local authorities and the National Health Service provide weight management services to support their communities to achieve and maintain a healthier weight. A two-year pilot backed by up to £40 million will explore ways to make National Institute for Health and Care Excellence approved weight loss drugs accessible to patients living with obesity outside of hospital settings. This pilot, in conjunction with the obesity healthcare mission and its additional £20 million of Government research funding, will work together to create a continuum of support for the most promising technologies for the treatment of obesity and ensure the United Kingdom is a world-class location to trial, pilot and rollout innovation.
The Department will continue to work on cross Government strategies to help reduce inactivity levels in the population and help address health issues arising from weight related conditions. We are working with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the new Sport Strategy, which will include reducing inactivity levels and provide support for access to physical activity. We are also working with the Department for Education on the School Sport and Activity Action Plan to encourage more physical activity in children and young people in and out of school and helping schools to become healthier places.
The Department has also worked on the Moving Healthcare Professionals Programme with Sport England and NHS Horizons to help embed physical activity into the healthcare system and help healthcare professionals provide physical activity advice to their patients in order to assist them with maintaining a healthy weight and the prevention and management of chronic conditions.
Our Better Health resources including free evidence-based apps and tools, support people to make and sustain changes to improve their health. These include the NHS Weight Loss app, Food Scanner App, ‘Couch to 5K’ and ‘Active 10’. Since Summer 2020, over 13 million positive actions have been taken a result of Better Health adult obesity campaigns, helping people eating more healthily and increase physical activity. The Department is also currently running ‘Better Health: Rewards in Wolverhampton’, a digital health incentives pilot that supports users to improve their physical activity and diet through financial incentives.
The Government encourages everyone to have a healthy balanced diet in line with the UK’s healthy eating model, the Eatwell Guide, which shows that foods high in saturated fat, salt or sugar should be eaten less often or in small amounts. The Government continues to promote the Eatwell Guide principles through the NHS.UK, Better Health and Healthier Families websites.
Our Major Conditions Strategy call for evidence, which closed 27 June, sought views on how the healthcare system can support people to live healthier lives, including supporting them to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Adult Weight Management Services Grant.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
91% of local authorities in receipt of the Adult Weight Management Services Grant funding shared data on participants and their progress with the Office for Health and Disparities. Provisional data, covering the period April 2021 to December 2022, was published on 27 April 2023.
The statistical summary is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/adult-tier-2-weight-management-services-provisional-data-for-april-2021-to-december-2022-experimental-statistics/adult-tier-2-weight-management-services-short-statistical-commentary-april-2023.
It shows that 40% of participants had lost weight by the end of their service, with 15% having lost at least 5% of their initial body weight. A final report will be published in due course.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to screen children to identify those at risk of obesity.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) collects data on children aged four to five years old in Reception and 10 to 11 years old in Year 6. The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities publishes national and local level data on Fingertips. For children aged four to five years old, the prevalence of obesity in England was 10.1% and 8.9% in York in the academic year 2021/22. For children aged 10-11 years old the prevalence of obesity in England was 23.4% and 18.9% in York in the academic year 2021/22.
NCMP is a surveillance programme providing trend data on childhood weight status. It is not a screening programme. However, local authorities can choose to notify parents of their children’s measurements. When a child is identified as living with obesity, a tailored feedback letter provides a parent with information about local healthy lifestyle and child weight management services available. They may also be invited to contact the school nursing team to discuss their child’s growth and support available.