NHS action to help tackle obesity and Type 2 diabetes

Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, has announced that hundreds of thousands of people will receive NHS help to battle obesity and Type 2 diabetes under radical action.

A trial at the end of last year of the 800-calorie a day diet has helped almost half of those involved to reverse the condition of type 2 diabetes. Using liquid meals and shakes will be prescribed for three months, initially to 5,000 people, and follow-up support given.

With nine out of 10 people with diabetes in the UK having type 2, which is strongly linked to diet and lifestyle, the decision will not just improve the health of patients but also save the NHS money that can be reinvested in frontline care, with the NHS currently spending around 10 per cent of its budget on treating diabetes.

Additionally, the scaling up of the NHS DPP scheme, the first in the world to become available country-wide, comes after it proved even more successful than planned with patients losing on average a kilogram more than expected. The nine month programme helps people to achieve a healthy weight, improve overall nutrition and increase levels of physical activity.

Stevens said: “The NHS is now going to be ramping up practical action to support hundreds of thousands people avoid obesity-induced heart attacks, strokes, cancers and Type 2 diabetes. The NHS Long Term Plan is going to give people the power and the support to take control of their own lifestyles – so that they can help themselves while also helping the NHS.

“Because what’s good for our waistlines is also good for our wallets, given the huge costs to all of us as taxpayers from these largely preventable illnesses. However this isn’t a battle that the NHS can win on its own. The NHS pound will go further if the food industry also takes action to cut junk calories and added sugar and salt from processed food, TV suppers and fast food takeaways.”

Recent projections also show that the growing number of people with diabetes could result in nearly 39,000 people living with diabetes suffering a heart attack in 2035 and over 50,000 people suffering a stroke.