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A landmark report shaping the future of the UK's obesity policy, developed from a parliamentary roundtable hosted by Juniper.
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Report highlights
#3
The UK has the third highest adult obesity rate in Europe
64%
of adults in England are overweight or living with obesity
25%
of adults in England are obese
£11bn
per year is the estimated yearly cost to the NHS of obesity-related illness
Prevalence of overweight (including obesity) is higher in men than women, and in Black British and white British adults than other ethnic groups.
If current trends continue, almost 40% of the UK population will have obesity by 2040, which comes with related conditions and illnesses like cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal conditions and poor mental health.
Tackling the UK's obesity crisis - the time is now
Obesity is a growing health crisis placing immense strain on the NHS—and urgent action is needed.
On the 12th March 2025, Jim Shannon MP and Juniper united experts, Parliamentarians, clinicians, and key organisations like Obesity UK and NESTA to shape bold solutions for tackling the nation's obesity crisis.
The discussion took place under Chatham House Rule so no comments are attributed to individual speakers within this report, aside from Professor Richard Donnelly.
Host: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party MP for Strangford).
Host: Juniper, an organisation combining proven weight loss medications with one-to-one support from health practitioners.
Chair: Dr Anne Rainsberry CBE, former NHS Chief Executive and Regional Director for London.
Speaker: Professor Richard Donnelly, Emeritus Professor of Medicine at the University of Nottingham, Editor-in-Chief of Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, and clinical advisor to Juniper
Roundtable insights
Key calls to action
Tackling obesity should be a national priority
Obesity is a national problem that will not go away without a focused government-led strategy. A National Obesity Plan must give ICBs (Integrated Care Boards) the funding and guidance required to tackle this epidemic effectively, with thorough consideration for groups that are more likely to experience obesity. All ICBs nationwide should also be compelled to include tackling obesity as a key priority in their ICB five year Forward Plans.
Digital healthcare must be embraced in a changing treatment landscape
Recent NICE guidance has indicated Mounjaro can be rolled out in a phased approach on the NHS. This can be done eventually through GP services, but there is a concern that they will be overwhelmed, or to what extent they can provide wraparound support. As part of a National Obesity Plan, digital innovation must be embedded into the system and healthcare teams must receive reassurance they can use digital tools to deliver weight management services and medication effectively. Peer-to-peer community groups should also be embedded into this plan to support holistic, long-term support.
Obesity funding must match the scale of the issue
To bring the National Obesity Plan and an evolved treatment system to life, funding into tackling obesity must be a strategic priority. While short-term funding into the availability of weight loss medication and more readily available holistic care would be in the millions of pounds, the long-term national productivity gains and cost-savings to the NHS achieved through a healthier population will drive significant return on this investment.
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Background
The current state of obesity
64% of adults in England are overweight or living with obesity—a percentage that has tripled since 1975. Obesity is now one of the top five causes of premature death in England alongside smoking, a poor diet, high blood pressure, alcohol and drug use.
What is obesity?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), being overweight or obese is defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health. A body mass index (BMI) over 25 is considered overweight, and over 30 is obese.
What percentage of adults are overweight in the UK?
In 2022-23, around 64% of adults 18+ in England were estimated to be overweight or living with obesity. This has increased 61.2% in 2015-16. Similarly, 26.2% were estimated to be living with obesity in 2022-23 versus 22.6% in 2015-16.
How does age affect obesity rates?
In 2022-23, people were more likely to be overweight and obese as they grew older up to age 64, reaching the peak in the 55 to 64 age group (72.8% were overweight and obese and 32.4% obese respectively). Weight then started to decline amongst the 65 to 74 and older age groups.
How do obesity rates differ between men and women?
In 2022-23, men were more likely to be overweight and obese (69.2%) than women (58.6%). The prevalence of obesity in adults was similar among men (26.4%) and women (26.2%).
How do living standards affect weight?
People living in the most deprived areas of England were more likely to be overweight (including obese) (71.5%) and obese (35.9%). People living in the least deprived areas are least likely to be overweight (including obese) (59.6%) and obese (20.5%).
How do obesity rates vary by ethnicity?
Black British and white British adults are the ethnic groups most likely to be overweight (including obesity) or obese. 74.8% of Black British adults were overweight (including obesity) and 34.8% were obese. 65.3% of white British adults were overweight (including obesity) and 27.6% were obese.
“[People being] overweight, and obesity, [are] very closely linked to a whole host of chronic unwanted disease outcomes…
A good deal of our NHS expenditure is consumed in managing the chronic complications of [people being] overweight, and obese.”
A good deal of our NHS expenditure is consumed in managing the chronic complications of [people being] overweight, and obese.”
— Professor Richard Donnelly
The current state of obesity treatment
64% of adults in England are overweight or living with obesity—a percentage that has tripled since 1975. Obesity is now one of the top five causes of premature death in England alongside smoking, a poor diet, high blood pressure, alcohol and drug use.
What are the UK’s tiers of weight management?
What are GLP-1 medications?
Who can access weight management services?
What changes to services can we expect in future?
Discussion
Challenges in tackling obesity
64% of adults in England are overweight or living with obesity—a percentage that has tripled since 1975. Obesity is now one of the top five causes of premature death in England alongside smoking, a poor diet, high blood pressure, alcohol and drug use.
Case Study
The discussion opened with a typical use case of an individual seeking NHS weight management treatment:
Case study
“
“I’ve never been a heavy user of the NHS, but as I was approaching 50 I had a funny turn. An ambulance was called and they thought I was having a stroke, which was a real wake-up call for me. I'd always been a very happy, big girl, never suffered bullying for my weight, and was always very sporty, and played a lot of tennis. But as the years went by and I had my daughter, the weight had crept up and I was definitely in an obese category.”
“And I realised, as you approach 50, those health problems are only going to get worse. And in particular, as a child of the 1970s, my relationship with food was just off. I just don't think I really understood my appetite, despite being well-educated about nutrition.”
“So I decided to see my doctor and went on a waiting list for a weight management system. I waited a year and then went back and he said: my advice to you is, because you don't have any immediate health problems, could you look at this privately.”
“And I realised, as you approach 50, those health problems are only going to get worse. And in particular, as a child of the 1970s, my relationship with food was just off. I just don't think I really understood my appetite, despite being well-educated about nutrition.”
“So I decided to see my doctor and went on a waiting list for a weight management system. I waited a year and then went back and he said: my advice to you is, because you don't have any immediate health problems, could you look at this privately.”
The patient took control of the situation and joined Juniper.
“I joined Juniper in March of 2024, and stopped taking [Wegovy] in December of that year. I lost nearly 25% of my body weight. So five and a half stone. Since December, I haven't put any weight back on; I'm using the gym, I feel very positive about my nutrition and weight loss in the future.”
“The wraparound care and peer-to-peer support from Juniper is the most important thing. I now know my nutrition much better; I know my appetite. Hopefully now I won't impinge on the NHS in the same way as I think I was heading towards.”
More on Juniper“The wraparound care and peer-to-peer support from Juniper is the most important thing. I now know my nutrition much better; I know my appetite. Hopefully now I won't impinge on the NHS in the same way as I think I was heading towards.”
What weight loss do GLP-1 drugs achieve?
“NHS England has estimated there are 2.8 million people in England who would be immediately eligible for treatment at a potential cost of £15 billion over five years.
And so [they] quite rightly said this is unmanageable. We need a phased rollout, which potentially extends out over 12 years. So there is currently quite a barrier and an obstacle to accessing what appears to be generally safe and very effective treatments used in conjunction with lots of other multi-professional input such as dietetics, lifestyle, and clinical psychology support.”
And so [they] quite rightly said this is unmanageable. We need a phased rollout, which potentially extends out over 12 years. So there is currently quite a barrier and an obstacle to accessing what appears to be generally safe and very effective treatments used in conjunction with lots of other multi-professional input such as dietetics, lifestyle, and clinical psychology support.”
— Professor Richard Donnelly
Key roundtable discussion points
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Weight is not just an individual responsibility
People being overweight and obese should no longer be seen as just an individual’s responsibility, but a wider population issue that affects national productivity and puts strain on our health services.
“
Significant barriers to treatment currently exist
Significant barriers currently exist for people seeking weight loss treatment, especially Tier 3 and 4 services. Some people travel over 100 miles to attend clinics because their local ICBs may not have obesity as a strategic priority.
“
A cross-party health strategy is critical
A cross-party health strategy was acknowledged as critical - obesity must be a key focus, similar to diabetes, that considers wider determinants and doesn’t change when a new party comes to power.
Read more in our Full Report
A dated narrative in policy discussion: beyond food
Most debates in parliament are currently focused on “fixing our broken food system” and prevention as the cure for the UK’s obesity and diet-related disease crisis. However, this focus risks ignoring the millions of people already living with obesity in the UK, and the importance of effective weight loss treatments in managing this crisis.
Factor #1
Losing weight isn't as simple as diet & exercise
There was consensus in the room that people being overweight and obese should no longer be seen as just an individual’s responsibility, but a wider population issue that affects national productivity and puts strain on our health services. Changing the narrative around weight loss is key to tackle this issue.
Factor #2
Factors beyond diet & exercise significantly influence weight
Research increasingly shows that genetic, environmental, and societal factors play substantial roles in determining weight. For example, pre-existing health conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) , an underactive thyroid or Cushing syndrome can cause obesity.
Discussion
Solutions & recommendations
A holistic, personalised approach combining lifestyle changes like healthy eating and exercise with weight loss medication and support from clinicians, psychologists and peers is proving an extremely effective route.
From a policy perspective, the success of this approach will be measured using financial metrics. And while Nesta has estimated that attempting to halve adult obesity by 2030 using GLP-1 medication would cost £16.5 billion per year, the Institute for Government argues the annua...
From a policy perspective, the success of this approach will be measured using financial metrics. And while Nesta has estimated that attempting to halve adult obesity by 2030 using GLP-1 medication would cost £16.5 billion per year, the Institute for Government argues the annua...
“We've clearly seen with Juniper over the last two or three years, there's a component of our population very willing to self-fund this, and… we need to make sure that the providers of that self-funded model, like Juniper, are regulated by [the] CQC (Care Quality Commission) and have all the same safety and quality assurances that we have in face-to-face clinics.”
— Professor Richard Donnelly
Key roundtable discussion points
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Prevention and treatment are both important
With support for GLP-1 medication being key to reducing existing cases of obesity.
“
Inconsistent funding is a major issue
This leads to a lack of long-term support and training for healthcare personnel, and an inability to access the treatments themselves.
“
Weight loss treatment is evolving
For example, it may shift from injections to daily oral medication, like statins. The cost of these treatments is also expected to decrease significantly due to the expiration of patents and increased production in countries like India.
“
Maturing how we treat obesity
There is a need for a cross-party health policy that includes obesity as a core component, similar to the healthcare structure for diabetes.
Read more in our Full Report
Summary
There was broad recognition that obesity is often seen as an individual issue, with limited nationwide resources and support in the UK.
The government's ten-year NHS plan aims to expand weight loss medication access, focusing on prevention and health management to reduce NHS strain. This must include a National Obesity Plan with broader access to treatments like Wegovy and Mounjaro, within a holistic treatment model.
Funding is critically needed to facilitate this model, empowering the NHS to offer medication or surgery as needed, alongside providing comprehensive care.
Emphasising community support and digital health can lower costs, with the return on investment benefiting the UK economy and NHS.
The government's ten-year NHS plan aims to expand weight loss medication access, focusing on prevention and health management to reduce NHS strain. This must include a National Obesity Plan with broader access to treatments like Wegovy and Mounjaro, within a holistic treatment model.
Funding is critically needed to facilitate this model, empowering the NHS to offer medication or surgery as needed, alongside providing comprehensive care.
Emphasising community support and digital health can lower costs, with the return on investment benefiting the UK economy and NHS.
"...digital healthcare... could unblock a number of the capacity problems that we see in providing some safe and effective weight loss support to patients... [They] can access this from the safety... of their own home. Because it's digital... you can have very robust clinical governance around prescribing protocols and incident monitoring... [and] digital technology offers a lot in terms of providing Tier 3 [and] Tier 2-like multidisciplinary care..."
— Professor Richard Donnelly
References
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Background on Juniper
Juniper combines clinically-proven weight loss medications with one-to-one support from dietitians and nutritionists.
By using scientifically proven GLP-1 medications alongside ongoing health coaching, health tracking, clinical consultations and a dedicated support team, we’ve designed a new and highly effective and NICE-endorsed method of weight management.
Learn moreBy using scientifically proven GLP-1 medications alongside ongoing health coaching, health tracking, clinical consultations and a dedicated support team, we’ve designed a new and highly effective and NICE-endorsed method of weight management.