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The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 27 June 2026.

A dozen cutting-edge projects will benefit thousands of patients battling obesity across the UK.

• A dozen cutting-edge projects will see thousands of patients across the UK benefitting from new approaches to tackling obesity.    
• £85 million grant funding from government and pharmaceutical company Lilly for new approaches such as using AI tools to improve patient care.    
• Round-the-clock virtual advice and AI-assisted triage among plans to bring care to underserved communities.

Patients in regions across the UK will be given new and easier ways to access obesity care through 12 new projects, from apps and round-the clock advice on WhatsApp to AI-powered triage.  

Through the Obesity Pathway Innovation Programme (OPIP), projects are set to receive grant funding of up to £50 million from government and up to £35 million from pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly).  

They will reshape how obesity is treated and ease long-term pressure on frontline health services by using technology to give people new ways to access support. 

Putting advice and support at a patient’s fingertips marks a step change in how we can support people living with obesity. 

Among the projects, patients in Norfolk, Suffolk, and north east Essex will get the care they need more quickly through AI-assisted triage. This will mean people worried about their weight being able to fill in a short online health check from home – matching them to the right NHS support, whether that’s advice from a dietitian, or specialist clinical care.  

In Kent, up to 3,300 families – from pregnancy through to a child’s early years – will get round-the-clock AI powered advice on healthy eating, activity, sleep and stress, straight to their phone via WhatsApp. That means a parent worried about feeding their toddler in the middle of the night, or unsure where to turn for help, can get the right answer instantly – typing their questions into WhatsApp for an immediate response. This will mean people can get the advice they need without a GP or clinic appointment.  

In Leicester and Northamptonshire, patients will receive weight management support through an initial 6 new neighbourhood hubs, set up in local facilities like community pharmacies or gyms. Children and adults can be referred online, or through their GP, school, or council, standing to benefit from healthy living and lifestyle advice, adolescent specific apps, and, where clinically appropriate, weight loss medication. Whether someone asks for support in person or online, they’ll be supported to find the right care, with extra focus on deprived, Black, South Asian and rural communities who currently miss out most. 

People in Northern Ireland will be able to refer themselves and work with an NHS clinician to set personal goals, avoiding the wait for a GP appointment. While people in Wales will, for the first time, have one clear route into NHS weight management support – in English or Welsh – wherever they live. 

Science Secretary Liz Kendall said:   

Almost 1 in 3 adults in this country are living with obesity – that’s millions of people who deserve real support. 

These pioneering projects will meet people where they are – whether that is through a pharmacy round the corner, an app on their phone, or support in their own language. For a parent trying to give their child the best start, or someone who has struggled to access help for years, that can make all the difference.  

The evidence these projects generate will help remove the barriers that have stopped too many people getting they help they need, shaping better health services in the future for every one of us.

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care James Murray said:   

Obesity is an epidemic and we need bold action to end it now. These innovative projects will bring together the NHS, local partners and industry to test new ways of delivering obesity care that uses the latest technology and is closer to people’s homes.  

What we learn from these projects has the potential to help people across the country live healthier lives, underlining this government’s commitment to deliver the 10-Year Health Plan and shift healthcare from treatment to prevention and reduce long-term pressure on vital NHS services.

Obesity is one of the UK’s most pressing health challenges, with almost one third of adults in England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, and one in four in Wales living with the condition*. 

Estimates suggest it costs UK society up to £107 billion per year**, including a bill of more than £9 billion per year for the NHS. Limited access to effective weight loss interventions, like specialist advice, guided physical activity or medicines, remains a key barrier for patients who need support.  

OPIP will aim to transform outcomes for a wide range patients, including people in deprived rural and coastal communities who often have to travel long distances for in-person care, minority ethnic communities, and for people with disabilities and early years families.   

Focusing on groups who face most difficulty accessing care will maximise the impact of support through these projects, helping to make the biggest possible difference to people’s lives.  

These projects will inform the future of obesity care and how the lessons learned from them can be rolled out across the country.  

Today’s announcement builds on a wider package of government action to end the UK’s obesity pandemic, with action to restrict junk food advertising on TV before 9pm and at all times online – expected to remove up to 7.2 billion calories a year from children’s diets – and giving local authorities new powers to stop fast food shops opening near schools. 

The government has also consulted on banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under-16s to protect children’s physical and mental health, and is revising the School Food Standards to ensure every child has access to nutritious meals. 

Other measures to end the UK’s obesity pandemic include free school meals being extended to every child in a household receiving Universal Credit, alongside the rollout of free breakfast clubs so children start the day ready to learn. 

To support families on the lowest incomes, the value of Healthy Start payments has been uplifted by 10%, helping parents afford healthy food for their children. And from January 2028, the Soft Drinks Industry Levy will be expanded to cover pre-packed milk-based and milk-substitute drinks – building on a policy that has already cut the average sugar content of soft drinks in scope by 47% between 2015 and 2024. 

Large food businesses will also be required to report against standardised metrics on healthier food sales by the end of this Parliament – bringing full transparency and accountability to the food and drink the country buys. 

Professor Naveed Sattar, Chair of the Obesity Healthcare Goals said: 

It is very encouraging to see investment in these projects, given the urgent need for the NHS to develop better ways of supporting the many people affected by obesity and its complications.

Each project brings distinct strengths and will explore innovative approaches to care, with the most successful strategies likely to shape future obesity services across the UK.

Prof Ben Bridgewater, Executive Chair, the Health Innovation Network said:  

Health innovation is a collective leadership opportunity. This is an example of partners, industry, national and devolved governments and the NHS aligning priorities to deliver innovation locally, closer to patients, that will have a national impact, improving health and wealth across the country. 

The Health Innovation Network will play a crucial role in leading the Communities of Practice to ensure learnings from the frontline are shared and fed back into the system, avoiding duplication and driving the implementation of the Obesity Pathway Innovation Programme.

Chris Stokes, President and General Manager, Lilly UK and Northern Europe, said:   

Obesity is a significant health challenge for the UK.

We are proud to work with the government to support NHS partners in projects which have the potential to modernise obesity services and make a genuine difference in the lives of people living with obesity.

Claire Spooner, Director of the Innovation Service at Innovate UK, said:   

Innovate UK is delivering the Obesity Pathway Innovation Programme that will set-up and test new models of care to enable patients living with obesity to access clinically appropriate weight management services.  

The programme aims to improve the health of patients living with obesity and is aligned with the NHS ambition to prevent rather than treat illness.

The projects are being led by an NHS Integrated Care Board or a Devolved Nation NHS Board, and many working with partners such as the British Heart Foundation, or Obesity UK.    

Eligible patients will be able to access support through the projects imminently, which will run until March 2029.