The programme could make it easier for patients living with obesity to access holistic care by enabling access to weight management care more easily, wherever they live, through new routes like digital platforms, local community-based access and pharmacies.
The UK government will contribute up to £50m of new UK-wide investment, and Lilly will contribute up to £35m of grant funding, with NHS organisations able to come up with proposals and apply for a share of the funding. At least £10m of this funding is earmarked to support proposals in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Healthcare stakeholders across the NHS such as care boards, working with technology providers, will be invited to submit bids to pilot innovative models of care for people living with obesity, outside of existing specialist weight management services to increase capacity and avoid those services being overburdened.
A central part of this programme, which will be delivered together with Innovate UK, will be finding new ways to deliver obesity care that are accessible to everyone who can benefit from them, regardless of their background.
The programme builds on the government's recent investment, through Innovate UK, into 23 projects from the Weight Management Pathway Design Accelerator. Led by ICBs and health boards across the UK, these focused three-month projects are exploring new ways to design more personalised and joined-up weight management support, delivered in local communities where it's easier for people to access.
Patient eligibility will be decided by clinicians at local level, with all services adhering to national guidelines, NHS governance and clinical standards, ensuring a patient-centric approach aligned to local need.
The programme will be open to proposals from across the UK. In participating areas, eligible patients could access innovative services as early as summer 2026.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said: ‘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. In the long-term it will inform how we can better tackle one of the biggest modern day health challenges and, through our Plan for Change, create an NHS that is fit for the future.'
Professor Rachel Batterham, senior vice-president for international medical affairs at Lilly, added: ‘The launch of this programme marks an important milestone in advancing new models of care for obesity.
'At Lilly, we are deeply committed to addressing the complex health challenge of obesity, and we are pleased to collaborate with the UK government and NHS partners. Together, we aim to build an evidence base that could transform health outcomes for people living with obesity.'
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.'
