Launch of NHS Confederation and Eli Lilly collaborative project on weight management pathways
The NHS Confederation and Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly UK) are launching a collaborative project to understand how Integrated Care Systems (ICS) can redesign weight management services outside of hospital to holistic closer-to-home interventions, in line with current shifts proposed by government to move care closer to home.
The project will combine the NHS Confederation’s population health, improvement and support capabilities with Lilly UK’s capabilities in pathway redesign and business case development. The collaboration will provide a support programme for a cohort of NHS Confederation’s members (NHS leaders working to improve weight management services and pathways for the benefit of local communities), culminating in a change package that will include practical resources to spread and scale learnings beyond members involved in this programme.
The programme will run from January 2025 for 12 months, including four engagement workshops to shape the resources produced where ICS leaders will be able to share knowledge and innovative solutions that can be scaled.
Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation said:
“Growing rates of obesity are an increasing strain on the NHS and Integrated Care Systems leaders know they have a critical role to play in reshaping these services to meet changing population need, particularly given the government’s focus on shifting more care closer to home.
“This project will help us to equip ICS to reimagine what holistic support could look like, and help them fulfill their four core purposes as statutory bodies; improve outcomes in population health and healthcare, tackle inequalities in outcomes, experience and access, enhance productivity and value for money and help the NHS support broader social and economic development.”
Karen Thomas, Associate Director - Strategic & Collaboration Partnership at Lilly UK said:
“Obesity is one of the biggest public health challenges we face today, taking a massive toll on individuals' health and wellbeing, as well as placing strain on our NHS. There is huge potential for the pharmaceutical industry and the NHS to work together to tackle this crisis. Lilly UK’s expertise in developing solutions, combined with NHS Confederation’s expertise in supporting ICBs to improve population health, deliver high-quality care and reduce health inequalities, are driving real progress.
"Collaborative efforts are accelerating the implementation of new models of care, allowing interventions to be made available to patients sooner, and in an equitable way. Findings from this partnership will drive our understanding of current weight management service provision, allowing us to explore the “art of the possible” for future provision across the UK.
"Most importantly, this integrated approach puts patients at the centre, with Lilly UK and NHS Confederation leading the way through strategic collaboration and partnership.”
