To think the injections for weight reduction should be offered to the unemployed?

I'm utterly baffled. I don't think 'the government' actually suggested giving weight loss injections specifically to unemployed people with the intention of helping them into work. Just that it may possibly be a consequence and maybe we should look at the long term impacts on health and behaviour at a population level, including employment, to see if there are correlations.

The idea that employers would know about it and then fire people for weight regain is totally mad. Where has OP got that from?

It is clear now @llizzie you are on some sort of wind up but hey ho I am invested now.

It will save the PRIVATE research so much money from running this TRIAL. since the wonder of you have already declared it won't work. Thank goodness you are around. Any other research you would like to assess as being a fail from the start while you are at it?

I think anyone who is obese should be offered weight loss drugs as required on the NHS. Just like I think antidepressants should be offered.

I also think we should accept that people who live with obesity need sympathy and kindness. The ability of some people to control their eating is not the same as others for whatever reasons and there is now medical help for that. Great.

If you feel the need to judge and criticise other people then I feel sorry for you. Educate yourselves.

Or how the hell they would know anything about people’s private medical histories, anyway? Am pretty sure my CV doesn’t have a section stating my current medication or medical history.

please someone explain why they would fire people who gain weight?

Christ, they really do walk amongst us.

It’s a stupid idea by a stupid government.

They are probably hoping to solve some of the deficit by killing off swathes of the population. Let cash poor pensioners freeze then look at increasing inheritance tax to grab any money they can from their estate.

Inject fat people with a drug that’s only recently become widely available for weight loss…maybe it’ll be the next medical scandal in a few years if unexpected side effects come to light and it ends up finishing them off. That will ease the burden on the NHS.

What else? Sit back and do nothing other than blame the tories for the cost of living crisis, which means more families have two working parents and thus less time for cooking / exercising. Continue to allow food manufacturers to pile sugar into kids foods like yoghurts to get them hooked. Continue to sit idly back while ‘British’ companies lay people off in favour of offshoring jobs to the likes of India where labour is cheaper. Tax hard working families more and encourage anyone with skill and ambition to just leave the country because there’s nothing for them here.

It’s going to be a trial to see if there are benefits to health, NHS and getting people back into work. It has been said by the health minister that the unemployed will not be prioritised. Like others, I think anyone should be able to access it free from the NHS.

JFC - the idea will be to support people who are currently signed off on long term disability due to obesity related issues. Once someone has lost weight, got fitter, feels better about themselves they will feel better able to go back into the workplace and less likely - due to lifestyle, poverty and low self-esteem - to regain the weight (although many with long term obesity/PCOS/diabetes/etc will also qualify for lower lifetime maintenance doses which may also help maintain lower/healthier weight.)

They are hardly going to declare to potential employers that they’ve lost weight, what methods, or hold it over those employees if they regain weight on the job. It will be voluntary (just as covid vaccinations were, because there is such as thing as human rights and we are still signed up to those… and we also are bound by UK data protection laws protecting individuals from invasive scrutiny into medical records etc by employers).

Reducing obesity will reduce the burden on GP time and their drug/patient care budgets. Similarly improved wellness will reduce dosages on existing drugs (eg statins, thyroid replacement meds and a whole host of other meds). Employment means a reduced social care bill and increased revenue from taxes - and more money circulating in the economy.

But at the moment, they are simply proposing a small study, with volunteers. So stop buying into media spin and take a moment to bloody think, will you?

Don't waste your time posting actual facts. OP will likely continue to invent their own version of events.

It's like you've not actually read any of the BBC articles or any of the other reporting about this. Yet you're confident to discuss what you think or imagine it's all about. Mad.

Someone posted suggesting making the already paltry unemployment benefits lower. Well that won't make employers end their age, disability, and career gap discrimination. Nor will it make employers returning to how things used to be - willing to hire someone and train them on the job.

It will, however, increase the issue of obesity. Because poverty, and the interlinked chronic stress due to poverty can cause obesity.

I am certain of everything that I've posted. NOTHING has been announced by the PM or the govt. The PM and Wes Streeting were discussing the upcoming research project that is entirely privately funded. They weren't announcing any policy, or even any specific intention to take any specific action. They were simply discussing the ideas behind this research project.

YABU @llizzie , because that is not what is happening. There is a LOT of misinformation being spread about this. The unemployed aren't suddenly going to be offered weight loss jabs, despite all the frothing that has gone on today on MN. I think this might be thread no. 5 or 6 that I have seen.

This is what is actually happening: there is going to be a five year study on the effectiveness of weight loss jabs and the potential impact of their use on health related quality of life and employment status and sick leave.

ETA: Other posters have tried to acquaint you with the facts, I see. But you are ignoring them.

The long version:

Health Innovation Manchester has today (14 October 2024) announced a groundbreaking strategic partnership with Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly) to initiate a five-year real-world evidence study (SURMOUNT-REAL UK), subject to relevant approvals.

The announcement has been made as part of a collaboration agreed between Lilly and UK Government today, unveiled at the Government’s International Investment Summit.

The study will evaluate the real-world effectiveness of tirzepatide in weight loss, diabetes prevention, and prevention of obesity-related complications for adults with obesity. The evidence generated will seek to increase the global evidence base on the long-term impacts of weight loss medicines and potentially inform the UK’s care pathway approach to the treatment of obesity.

Significantly, the five-year study will also aim to collect data on healthcare resource utilisation, health-related quality of life and changes in participants’ employment status and sick days from work.

https://healthinnovationmanchester.com/news/greater-manchester-plans-to-partner-with-industry-on-a-new-study-to-deepen-understanding-of-a-weight-loss-medication/

HTH

I agree that treating obesity won't make employers hire people.

However that's no reason not to help people with obesity, and if the weight loss drugs help some people depending on individual circumstances then they could be part of that help.

As long as there's a holistic approach re help. Holistic both re obesity, and separately re "worklessness".

I've listed, in my post above, how to address obesity, and separately the problems of, a) employers not hiring unemployed people, and b) people being too unwell to work - due to lack of or delayed access to timely and appropriate NHS and other help.

That's because both you and the quoted poster have utterly misunderstood what was being talked about, @llizzie

The main link between unemployment and obesity is that unemployment can cause obesity.

I've just posted about this on another thread.

The reasons why unemployment can cause obesity are:

a) Poverty means limited access to affordable healthy food and/or cooking or kitchen storage facilities.

b) Poverty can cause chronic stress - and chronic stress can cause obesity even without overeating or eating the "wrong" food. (I'll find the article I posted about this on another thread).

Separate from unemployment as in re people jobseeking (as opposed to being unable to work). Millions of people are on long NHS waiting lists. Because of delayed or misdiagnoses or delayed treatment, they're more unwell by the time they're accurately diagnosed and treated.

In the meantime many of those people waiting for good NHS care gain weight. Due to pain or limited mobility caused by their untreated health condition.

Returning to unemployment. A major problem isn't that people "don't want to work". It's that employers don't want to hire them. There's widespread employer discrimination against older, disabled - and career gap candidates. Also employers are less willing to do what they did in the past - train people on the job.

So although the weight loss drugs may be helpful for some people re obesity, they won't address "worklessness". Absolutely if it helps, they should be available to help obesity but there has to be a holistic approach - that addresses the causes (whether social/environmental or delayed NHS care).

Sort out the NHS and other public services, so there's timely access to good and holistic help.

Address poverty - with a supportive benefits system, improved child maintaince service, more council housing (bad of insecure housing harms health - at huge cost to the NHS and the wider economy), and job and training opportunities.

And address the employer problem.

"Does the PM know it is only research? According to the BBC Starmer himself announced it."

Which part of which BBC article makes you think that, @llizzie ?