
Weight-loss jabs on NHS may be rolled out ‘in high streets and shopping centres'
It says the Government will work with industry 'to test innovative models of delivering weight loss services and treatments to patients effectively and safely' in convenient locations, which may include 'on the high street, or at any out-of-town shopping centre'.
Digital-only models, where everything is done and managed online, may also be put in place, the plan says.
Furthermore, companies will not just paid if people lose weight, 'but if that also translates into outcomes that really matter for patients, such as fewer heart attacks, strokes or cancer diagnoses'.
Earlier, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said weight-loss jabs should be available according to need, not the ability to pay.
At the moment, people with a body mass index (BMI) of 35 or more, or 30 but with a linked health condition, can be prescribed jabs on the NHS through specialist weight-management services.
Other people are paying hundreds of pounds a month to get the jabs privately.
Mr Streeting told LBC radio: 'Weight-loss jabs are the talk of the House of Commons tea rooms, half my colleagues are on them and are judging the rest of us saying 'you lot should be on them'.
'And the thing is, if you can afford these weight loss jabs, which can be over 200 quid a month, well that's all right for you.
'But most people in this country haven't got a spare two and a half grand a year and often the people who have the worst and most challenging obesity also have the lowest income.
'So I'm bringing to weight loss jabs the principle of fairness which has underpinned the NHS.
'It should be available based on need and not the ability to pay.
'And that's what we're going to do on weight-loss jabs, as well as a number of other things, including people getting more fit, more active, supporting people on diet and nutrition….that's the bit of the weight-loss jab debate that sometimes gets lost.
'It's not that you can have some weight-loss jabs and stuff your face with Jaffa cakes…'
He said obesity cost the NHS billions a year, adding that taxes have been going 'up and up' to pay for the health service.

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BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Ketamine helped me escape my negative thoughts - then nearly killed me
Abbie was 16 years old when she started using ketamine. It was the first time she had felt in negative thoughts that had swamped her mind since a young age began to years later and fresh out of rehab she's still battling with the addiction that almost took her wants to speak out to explain why ketamine has become such a popular drug - especially among young people with mental health problems - and to talk about the damage it can do long warning comes as the first NHS clinic in the UK - dedicated to helping children struggling with ketamine use - opens on Merseyside, with patients as young as 12 needing help. Ketamine is unlike many other street drugs due to the way it interacts with the brain. Small amounts of the Class B drug can give a sense of euphoria and excitement, while large amounts can lead to a state known as the "K-hole," where users feel detached from reality - an out-of-body-type number of under 16s reporting a problem with the drug has nearly doubled over the past two years, overtaking cocaine in popularity with children and young half those (49%) who started treatment for drug misuse in 2023-24 said they had a mental health problem, with more than a quarter not receiving any treatment for the latter. Details of help and support with addiction are available in the UK at BBC Action Line Experts are warning that some young people are taking dangerous amounts of ketamine not only due to it's low price and ease of availability, but also because of the dissociative feelings it brings."What we are seeing is a perfect storm," David Gill, the founder of Risk and Reliance, a company which trains front-line workers on emerging drug trends. "We have more young people struggling with depression, trauma, anxiety, a lack of services - and we have a very cheap street drug that helps them disconnect."Abbie's first line of ketamine did exactly that. She says it "felt like such a powerful place to be"."My thoughts no longer had a negative effect on me - life was passing me by, but I didn't have to engage with it."Abbie's childhood had been hard. Struggling with mental health problems and undiagnosed ADHD, she had left school at 14 and found herself in a whirlwind of drink, drugs and unhealthy relationships. Although addiction cast a long shadow throughout her 20s, Abbie managed to secure a place at university, staying clean throughout, and obtained a healthcare is smart, articulate and wants to do well, but after two abusive and controlling relationships ketamine became the only means she had to block out the when she went to her GP to seek help she was prescribed sleeping tablets and told to "come off the ket"."The withdrawals were so bad I would be shaking and vomiting," she says, "it wasn't that easy to just come off it."Then a deeper level of addiction took hold. "I always prided myself in the early stages of addiction of keeping my morals and my values and not lying to people," Abbie says, "but I couldn't stop the drugs and I found myself hiding my use to my friends."Things escalated. Eventually Abbie was taking ketamine every day - incessantly. The only time she would take a shower, she says, would be when she went out to meet her dealer on the physical effects of overuse began to kick in - horrific abdominal pains, known as K-cramps, would leave her screaming in agony. She would place boiling hot water bottles on her abdomen - burning her skin. And then she would take even more ketamine to numb the pain. What is ketamine? Often referred to as ket, Special K or just K, ketamine is a powerful horse tranquilliser and anaesthetic. It is a licensed drug and can be prescribed medicallyWhen misused, it can cause serious and sometimes permanent damage to the bladderIt is currently a Class B drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971The penalty for possession is up to five years in prison, an unlimited fine - or both This cycle of drug abuse is something public health consultant Professor Rachel Isba also sees in her new clinic for under 16s experiencing the physical side effects of ketamine use of the drug can cause ketamine-induced uropathy, a relatively new condition, which affects the bladder, kidneys and liver. The bladder lining becomes so inflamed it can result in permanent damage and it has to be Isba says the first signs of ketamine bladder are severe abdominal pains, urinating blood and jelly from the damaged bladder lining."Patients referred to the clinic will receive a holistic approach," she says, "care from the specialist urology team to treat the physical effects of the drug, and then they will be supported - and referred if necessary - to community services who can help with the often complex reasons behind their drug use." 'Completely helpless' Sarah Norman, from St Helens, says she felt like a "silent watcher" as her daughter began to "fade in front" of her September she discovered that Maisie, 25, was addicted to ketamine, which had caused potentially irreversible damage to her kidneys."We are just an average family," Sarah says. "I never thought Maisie would have ended up addicted to any drugs - she doesn't even drink alcohol."Maisie had kept it quiet - ashamed of the stigma attached to her ketamine use. But what had started as a party drug she'd take at festivals had become a substance she couldn't function the end her partner moved out with their three-year-old son."I had nothing left to live for," Maisie says. "It got to the point I was doing bump after bump [snorting small amounts of it]."For a short time I would be knocked out of reality - then I would take more." Eventually, Maisie's mum and sister carried her into hospital - she weighed just five stone (32kg)."The doctors said her body was failing her," Sarah says. "We thought we might lose her."As a parent, she says, she felt completely helpless."It's hell on earth, there is nothing you can do. You ask yourself what you should have done."Maisie's kidneys were fitted with nephrostomy tubes, which drain the urine out into two bags - which she now carries around with even this major operation didn't end Maisie's addiction. But finally, after fighting for a place in rehab she has now been clean for five posts about her daughter's drug journey on Tik Tok where many parents reach out to her for help and advice with their own children."This drug is just horrific, so many other young people are struggling with it," Sarah says. "I am so proud of Maisie though, she's going to Narcotics Anonymous meetings every night."The pain she must have been through - and still goes through - I'm not sure if I'd have been as resilient and strong as she is." Abbie was rejected from NHS rehabilitation services twice, and reached a point where she considered taking her own life."There was so much chaos around me and the services weren't going to help me, I just wanted to end it all," she after sending a five-page letter to the panel that decides on eligibility she finally managed to access a detox and rehabilitation service."I had three choices," Abbie says, "rehab, section - or in a coffin."Abbie was treated in the same rehabilitation unit as Maisie. She is now out, clean and proud of herself but says the treatment she received failed to deal with her trauma."I can look after myself on a daily basis and I'm doing OK. The real work starts now I'm out of rehab," she says, " and now I am clean, hopefully I can get the mental health support I so desperately needed when I was using."A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said that as part of its 10 Year Health Plan to reform the NHS, it was going to be much "bolder in moving from sickness to prevention"."This government is driving down the use of drugs like ketamine, ensuring more people receive timely treatment and support, and making our streets and communities safer."

South Wales Argus
an hour ago
- South Wales Argus
Wales' new deputy chief medical officer is appointed
Dr James Calvert takes on the role for Wales, bringing extensive experience in clinical leadership and public health. As well as being named the deputy chief medical officer for Wales, he will also serve as national clinical director for NHS performance and improvement. The appointment follows a recommendation from the Ministerial Advisory Group on NHS performance and productivity. Dr Calvert has spent more than 16 years working in Gwent and is known for his dedication to improving healthcare delivery across Wales. Dr Calvert joins the Welsh Government from his previous role as medical director and deputy chief executive at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board. He is a graduate of Oxford University and holds a PhD in epidemiology. He also completed a master of public health at Harvard University as a Fulbright scholar. Dr Calvert said: "I am honoured to take on this role at such a pivotal time for the NHS in Wales. "I look forward to working with colleagues across the NHS and government to build on our shared commitment to high-quality, equitable healthcare for all." His career includes national advisory roles and clinical leadership positions. He has served as national specialty advisor for severe asthma and led the National Asthma Audit at the Royal College of Physicians. Professor Isabel Oliver, chief medical officer for Wales, said: "I welcome Dr Calvert and I am very much looking forward to working with him. "He brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the role. "Dr Calvert will help strengthen medical leadership in Wales and his post will include responsibility for Wales providing clinical leadership to NHS performance and improvement and improving our clinical services across the NHS Wales." Jeremy Miles, health secretary, said: "Dr Calvert's experience will prove invaluable to the role of deputy chief medical officer, and he will provide clear clinical leadership from the top in his new role with NHS performance and improvement." Dr Calvert will begin his new responsibilities in August.


Times
3 hours ago
- Times
Scotland told to learn from England's NHS ‘doctor in pocket'
SNP ministers have been told they must 'learn lessons' from England's NHS app, after Sir Keir Starmer outlined plans for a supercharged version before Scotland's has even launched. The prime minister promised patients south of the border 'a doctor in your pocket' as part of plans to make the technology, which has already been in use in England for more than six years, an 'indispensable' part of everyday life. Wes Streeting, the UK health secretary, has said the technology will become 'critical national infrastructure' for Britain, offering health advice and including detailed digitised patient records and potentially live video chats with consultants and bespoke health coaching. In contrast, an app for the Scottish health service, first announced in 2021, is not expected to launch on a trial basis until December. Its functionality will be severely restricted initially, when its sole practical purpose will be allowing dermatology patients in just one area, Lanarkshire, to receive appointment letters. The lack of progress in Scotland has been branded a 'national embarrassment' with the SNP facing questions over why it did not seek to adapt England's technology for the devolved health service, rather than insisting on developing its own version. Stephen Kerr, the Tory MSP, said: 'The Scottish government's approach to delivering a simple NHS app for patients has been expensive, incompetent and frankly insulting to those who just want reliable access to their own health records and services. 'They have spent £17 million with nothing meaningful delivered except delays, excuses and a narrow pilot limited to one specialty in one health board. 'Instead of wasting yet more time and money reinventing the wheel for separatist political reasons, ministers should work constructively with the UK government to give people in Scotland access to the NHS app that is already up and running in England. 'Patients deserve joined-up systems that work — not a vanity project stuck in perpetual development.' The NHS app in England, which has 35 million users, already allows patients to book appointments at GP services, order prescriptions and manage hospital appointments. Denmark introduced a digital system two decades ago. This week, Starmer told an audience of frontline NHS staff in east London that private industries had revamped their offerings dramatically around apps and that the NHS should be no different. He said: 'We will transform the NHS app so it becomes an indispensable part of life for everyone. It will become, as technology develops, like having a doctor in your pocket, providing you with 24-hour advice, seven days a week.' The 'supercharged' version of the app is promised in England by 2028, with other goals including video calls with consultants, AI advice on symptoms and personalised lifestyle advice and health coaching. Meanwhile, the app in Scotland, the functionality of which remains unclear, is not set to fully roll out nationally until 2030. Chris Williams, vice chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners Scotland, said that although 'we have waited a long time,' he remained supportive of the approach taken by Scotland to develop its own app, citing the 'significant differences' in how NHS systems and records are structured. He said he did not believe it would be possible for the NHS England app to 'simply be used in the Scottish healthcare setting' and that different priorities would make it 'less applicable'. He added: 'There are lessons to be learned from the English example and avoiding creating extra pressure in general practice, especially in regard to managing the lifelong records of patients, that in some cases will contain historical information with language and terminology that belongs in the past. 'People in Scotland currently have 24/7 access to information about health and services via the NHS Inform website. We understand that there is a review taking place of the NHS Inform website that will lead to improvements to ensure that information is relevant, up-to-date and checked by subject matter experts.' A Scottish government spokesman said: 'The NHS England app was developed to support England's NHS trusts and is configured specifically to their IT infrastructure. We have, however, already engaged extensively with NHS England and with other health systems, to explore how we can take learning from other approaches in developing our service. 'Scotland's planned online app is for both health and social care and we will launch it in Lanarkshire by the end of 2025. National rollout will commence through 2026, and we will publish a national rollout plan later this summer.'