Health Innovation Manchester has worked with partners across Greater Manchester and industry to understand the obesity care pathway, to help inform how we can optimise current resources and introduce new ways of working that will improve the obesity care and treatment in Greater Manchester. 

Background 

The level of obesity and the incidence of obesity-related morbidities and associated hospital admissions have risen over recent years with the UK experiencing one of the highest rates of obesity in the world. This has a negative impact on the health of the UK population and increases costs for the NHS which are estimated to grow to £9.7bn annually by 2050 (1). There are significant inequalities in the rates of obesity, factors that influence this rate include deprivation and ethnicity (2). 

There is an acceptance by both clinicians and service managers that current service models do not demonstrate consistent successful treatment outcomes for those seeking support with their weight. However, there is a lack of understanding of the clinical pathway, including whether there are different pathways for co-morbid conditions associated with obesity such as fatty liver disease or Type 2 Diabetes. 

Health Innovation Manchester and Eli Lilly & Company (Lilly UK) have undertaken a discovery project to analyse the current service provision, capacity of the system and demand. Feedback has also been gathered from patients and clinicians within the system. 

All of this information is currently being reviewed and will be used to provide recommendations to local weight management service commissioners on how the system can be improved. It is hoped that the next phase of this work will lead to the introduction of a new model of care and clinical pathways to maximise the impact of weight management interventions to improve patient outcomes. 

Declaration of collaborative working

This project will be run as a Collaborative Working Agreement (CWA) in line with Clause 20 of the 2021 ABPI Code of Practice. Any benefits realised from the CWA i.e. improved clinic efficiencies will be realised at an organisational level by Health Innovation Manchester. No individual healthcare professional will benefit from the implementation of this agreement.

References

1. Tackling Obesities: Future Choices – Project Report (to be published imminently)
2. Fair Society Healthy Lives full report (parliament.uk)

Reports

• Understanding Obesity Care Pathways in GM ICS
• Cost of Obesity in Greater Manchester
• Obesity PPIE Report