Plans to deliver a crackdown on obesity in the NHS risk overwhelming an already overstretched service, Amanda Pritchard has warned.
The chief executive of NHS England said weight-loss drugs could be a “game changer” when it comes to tackling the country’s bulging waistlines.
But in an email to trust leaders today, seen by the Mail, he highlighted the need to transform the way overweight patients access care to cope with demand.
It comes after health secretary Wes Streeting revealed the government wants to use the jabs to boost the economy and get unemployed obese people back to work.
Weight-related illnesses cost the economy £74 billion a year, and overweight people are at higher risk of heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes.
In an email sent to trust leaders today, seen by the Mail, NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard highlighted the need to transform the way overweight patients access healthcare to cope with the demand.
It can also leave them susceptible to muscle pain that can prevent them from working.
Mrs Pritchard wrote: ‘Obesity, as we all know, is one of the biggest public health problems we face.
“Cost-effective weight-loss drugs will be a game-changer, along with previous prevention strategies, but without transforming pathways they could overwhelm already stretched services.”
Two in three Britons are classed as overweight or obese and NHS figures show people now weigh around a stone than they did more than 30 years ago.
The NHS is preparing for a mass rollout of weight-loss vaccines to 1.6 million patients.
They will go to the most serious and sick first, the Government said last month.
Draft guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends Mounjaro injections for people with a BMI of at least 35, as well as for weight-related health problems.
Trials show that the drug, which has been described as the “King Kong” of fat-busting hits, can help people lose up to 26 percent of their body weight in a year and a half.
The government is also backing a five-year trial of Mounjaro, in which pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly will assess the “real-world effectiveness” of its drug, in collaboration with the University of Manchester.
Researchers will quantify the vaccine’s long-term effects on obesity, diabetes incidence, and weight-related complications, as well as its impacts on employment, sick days, and quality of life.
Ms Pritchard added: “Through this partnership, we now have an important opportunity to better understand the benefits of weight management interventions for patients and how best to implement them in the years to come.”
‘The deal also shows that the NHS is exceptionally well positioned globally to not only deliver effective new treatments to those who would benefit most, but also to support science, research, jobs and economic growth across the country.
“That’s a capability we continue to develop.”
Obesity vaccines will be tested and manufactured in the UK under the government’s plans to bolster NHS supplies and tackle the country’s bulging waistlines.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer told BBC Breakfast today: ‘I think these drugs could be very important for our economy and for health.
‘This medicine will be very useful for people who want to lose weight, they need to lose weight, it is very important for the economy so that people can go back to work.
‘Very important for the NHS because, as I have said time and time again, yes, we need more money for our NHS, but we need to think differently.
‘We have to reduce the pressure on the NHS. So this will help in all those areas.”
And writing in The Telegraph, Mr Streeting said: “Our widening belts are also placing a significant burden on our health service, costing the NHS £11 billion a year – even more than smoking. And it is holding back our economy.
«Illnesses caused by obesity cause people to take an average of four more sick days a year, while many others are forced to be out of work.
“The long-term benefits of these drugs could be monumental in our approach to combating obesity.
Ozempic and its sister drug Wegovy work by causing the body to bind to a receptor called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), a protein that triggers the release of hormones in the brain that keep the stomach full and tell the body stop eating and avoid cravings
The NHS-backed OpenPrescribing data source shows soaring prescriptions for semaglutide, the drug in Ozempic and Wegovy.
“For many people, these weight loss shots will be life-changing, helping them get back to work and easing the demands on our NHS.”
However, Mr Streeting insisted people will still have to be responsible for taking “healthy living more seriously” as “the NHS cannot always be expected to foot the bill for unhealthy lifestyles.
Mounjaro, made by Eli Lilly, is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist, a family of medications that help control blood sugar and are used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity.
Other GLP-1 agonists include semaglutide, which is sold under the brand names Wegovy, Ozempic, and Rybelsus.
These drugs have experienced a series of supply problems in recent months.
Science and technology secretary Peter Kyle told the Mail on Monday that the government will work with the pharmaceutical industry to open a manufacturing plant in the UK, which could shore up vaccine supply for the NHS.
Most approved anti-obesity medications are offered to help people make changes to their lifestyle and diet.