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

That's good to know , what happens when the funding runs out .... though.

@Thegoodenoughwife
These injections are a temporary fix they don't last a life time , we don't know what the side effects in ten years will be.
No matter how much we cover it, no one will permanently lose weight without changing diet and exercising more, maybe we should have counselling for people who are that obese to get to a point where they are able to do this , rather than these injections, there are also gastric bands ... will these injections change peoples mindsets going forward to eat less and do more when they stop using them or will they need them forever ?
No one will want a job with all these benefits, I'm beginning to wonder why I work at all ..

@StarDolphins and @johnson39 don't worry, your taxes are safe. No money will be wasted on those dreadful fat people just yet. The govt isn't running this scheme, it's a privately funded research project run by a health science organisation and the manufacturers of the Mounjaro weight loss injection. No taxpayers money being spent on it at all.

Probably going to get flamed but the best way to tackle being overweight is to diet and exercise. There really are no short cuts.

I’m not going to flame you at all, but over a certain BMI (roughly as different bodies behave in different ways) it’s far more difficult to lose weight and maintain it. The whole physiology changes and the way hormones work and interact with each other changes, and it’s then very difficult to diet.
Add in the psychological issues that many obese people have which have likely led to obesity in the first place, it’s been shown in research to be very very unlikely for people to lose weight effectively and stay that way.

I don’t agree with the jabs full stop as all I see is how unwell some people are on them.

Are you happy with your taxes going towards the large NHS bill treating people who live with obesity?!

The cost of weight loss drugs are probably a drop in the ocean to how much people who have obesity cost.

Again and again the judgement around people who have obesity is awful. If medication can help people maybe they are in a situation that is beyond their control? Just like other addictions or mental health issues.

I agree with this.

@SpudleyLass what kind of time frame do you imagine that obese people need to use these injections for in order to get to a healthy weight? Wondering what your definition of a "quick fix" solution is?

I don’t even know anything about weight loss injections but surely this is about whether people actually want to work or not rather than being too overweight to work? I know plenty of overweight people working perfectly fine.

Thank you so much for pointing out that 'diet and exercise' are the ways to lose weight. People who are obese probably already have heard this. They need medical help. Do you also tell people who are depressed to 'cheer up'?

We need to have more sympathy with people who struggle with their weight. Enough with the judgement.

Well personally I don't want my tax from working to go to this cause, not that I have a choice, but I think it's a ridiculous waste of money , I'd rather the money went to fund many other worthy causes so get a job, get the gym and if you still want it pay for your own.

There isn't a shortage of Mounjaro, and there is no current shortage of Wegovy, both of which are for weight loss not for diabetes.

The govt aren't going to be handing out weight loss injections, it was an opinion piece by one MP about possibilities. What is happening is a privately funded trial of weight loss injections, in Manchester, where one of the outcomes that will be looked at is whether losing weight helps people with finding employment amongst other outcomes. Journalists have taken those two things and made a headline grabbing crappy article out of it.

In principle I think it's a good idea, though I do think it could probably be better spent by addressing the crisis in mental health provision and health provision in general so that anyone who can't work due to ill health can also have the same opportunity to get their issues sorted out and have the same opportunity.
Yes we need more productivity but obesity isn't the only reason that people can't work.

Presumably looking for work?

Job searching can take quite a lot of time up if done properly.

No I think drugs like Ozempic need to be reserved for those who need them I.e diabetics.

Offering relatively quick fix solutions to weight loss has never ended well.

Probably going to get flamed but the best way to tackle being overweight is to diet and exercise. There really are no short cuts.

Hell, I hear you need to diet and exercise even when on these drugs.

Would like to know how they're going to provide these weightloss injections, given there's a shortage, and even diabetics are struggling to access them.

No. Once again that would be the govt absolving people of their own responsibility.

Are most unemployed people obese?

Seems a bit mad with the shortage of weight loss injections we already have.. plus the cost to the nhs/drs time spent on the prescribing etc?- surely there are areas that would benefit more from the spending?
Plenty of people manage to work and be obese at the same time!- doesn't seem to make sense to me as a way to get people back to work, but what do I know? I would think making wages higher and unemployment benefits lower would be more effective!