Health secretary Wes Streeting has announced a trial in which unemployed people, as well as some people in work,  will be offered weight loss jabs with the intention of making them more employable.

Announcing the move in the Telegraph, Streeting told the paper “Illness caused by obesity causes people to take an extra four sick days a year on average, while many others are forced out of work altogether.”

He unveiled a £279 million investment from pharmaceutical giant Lilly, collaborating with the government in a project “that includes exploring new ways of delivering health and care services to people living with obesity, and a five-year real-world study of a cutting-edge obesity treatment.”

It is clear that the main focus of the project is to look at whether health interventions can lower the benefits bill, however.  Streeting claimed that “For many people, these weight-loss jabs will be life-changing, help them get back to work, and ease the demands on our NHS.”

The trial will be taking place in Manchester and will look at whether being given the weight loss jabs will reduce workplace absence and increase the chances of being in work.

Benefits and Work would be pleased to hear from anyone invited to join the trial.

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  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 months ago
    One last thing. I have numerous health conditions, one is called bile acid diarrhea or malabsorption.

    There are very few treatments and those that are, aren't that effective for how severe mine is.

    It turns out, these types of drugs to treat obesity are very promising agents to treat my condition. In fact, one called liraglutide, has almost received approval for the treatment of BAM in the UK.

    I'm actually really looking forward to trying it one day because BAM is horrible but maybe not as bad as my Crohn's.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 28 days ago
      @Peter I was on it made me really unwell , in bed for weeks, caused pancreatitis  this should last result really.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 29 days ago
      @Peter Just be careful what you wish for Peter. I was prescribed VIctoza initially for my diabetes and then later Ozempic. I had violent vomiting, diarhhoea, awful tummy cramps so bad, I had to come off it. It's a pity, because they really brought my blood sugars down. Hope one of them works for you. I agree with others, the government would be better helping people to access more healthy food, instead of cheap, ultra processed rubbish to fill them up.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 months ago
    I nearly choked on my jam doughnut reading that! 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 months ago
    If this government were for real they wouldn't let children go hungry or pensioners left in the cold they should put more money into eating healthy 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 months ago
    Is it a crime to be over weight now wouldn't it be  boring if we all looked the same this country is obsessed with the jabs jab what happens when they can't put normal weight on and then they are to skinny
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 months ago
    What worries me is the issue of informed consent and also the damage and side effects to the person. If one is told take the jab or face a sanction that is NOT informed consent. And what happens if someone is seriously damaged by the treatment? If we start mandating weight loss jabs for the unemployed, what other conditions will follow? And if one has a chaotic lifestyle and isn't getting help with that, how can they address their eating? Of they can't eat, will they go one to riskier behaviour like drugs to self medicated?
    I have huge issues with the medical profession and informed consent. Having researched and thought carefully I decided to decline female cancer screening. There are cases online of women being denied contraception or even inhalers til they take this optional test. It's not informed consent! Where will this end? If you have, say, arthritis and it's under control could a work coach then say, no you should do this instead? If you don't it's a sanction? Don't mock in this day and age I can really see it happening 
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 29 days ago
      @Anon Not yet 
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 months ago
      @Peter As the article above states,  overweight unemployed people, as well as some people in work, will be offered the jab. Wes Streeting didn't say anyone would be forced or sanctioned.

    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 months ago
      @Kat The article says, overweight people will be offered the jab, it doesn't say forced.

       It isn't only going to be offered to claimants but overweight people in work as well.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 months ago
      @Kat "If one is told take the jab or face a sanction that is NOT informed consent."

      That is not going to happen Kat. It would be against the Human Rights Act and the European Convention so would result in litigation.

      Food for thought though for those who think the Human Rights Act should be abolished. 
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 months ago
      @Kat i agree with you on this, this is not informed consent if it is mandated to benefet receipt.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 months ago
    Here's the latest Government wheeze. These stories seem to be coming out every day now. Anyone would think they are trying to scare us. Shameful tactics and the same old, same old re c.v. and interview techniques you used to get in the old Job Clubs but this time with a nasty twist.

    These techniques are pointless to a person who has been out of employment for many years and will only create added stress if not sheer terror at the thought of an interview. 

    They will also have significant gaps in their employment record rendering these ideas moot.

    What is needed is proper treatment re therapy for mental health problems.


    People should not be forced or coerced on to these schemes though. They must be fully voluntary.

    At all times, the employee's welfare should be uppermost and the DWP and the employer should be in constant contact to make sure that all is well.

    But no, we get this tired, lazy, cheap, many times regurgitated nonsense thinking that all people need is an up-to-date c.v. and a lesson interview techniques. 

    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 months ago
      @Sadly Simon You couldn't make it up.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 months ago
      @sausage belly "It could potentially cost anybody in the support group or LCWRA who the DWP deem to have "mild mental" conditions nearly £5000 a year (around£400 a month)"

      If this comes to pass, there will be chaos :)

      Many of us are in the same boat, try to look for ways now to cut back and prepare to weather the storm if you can. I think this will become a civil rights issue.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 months ago
      @Jonno Absolutely, but as we know, unless we have the money to go private, seeking mental health support at the moment can be a protracted process and a lottery as to who one gets to see.

      The last support worker/coach I saw, admitted to taking SSRIs herself, had a mini breakdown, left her job and signed me off the record (without telling me), because she saw me at a local café and assumed I was "okay" and required no further assistance.

      It was absurdly amusing.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 months ago
      @Jonno I agree its disgraceful! if they are going to send work coaches to visit the severely mentally ill who are sectioned in mental institutions ( good luck with that) then anybody else with "mild mental" conditions looks like they are going to be fair game! It could potentially cost anybody in the support group or LCWRA who the DWP deem to have "mild mental" conditions nearly £5000 a year (around£400 a month) worse off. absolutely shocking!
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 months ago
    I mean as a research question it's fine but obviously has ethical implications. As government policy it's a bit dystopian, espeically if used for government propaganda purposes.

  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 months ago
    I would NEVER take a  potentially harmful injection, I  lost weight and maintain my weight by EATING    NATURAL PROTEINS high in natural Fat, found in meat fish eggs and dairy, and green veg, Low CARB High FAT lifestyle
     And i have never looked back, Not had any symptoms people call colds or flu  for nearly 10 years, And  this  lifestyle ins  more important today as , my mobility is seriously comprised due to a  fractured  neck  of femur(hip) that  i chose to conservatively manage  (NO  opp)
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 months ago
      @Peter The point for me, and I do understand what you are saying and appreciate the desperation (an old friend has been yo-yo dieting for years and he is back up to 20 stone again)... the actual long-term solution for many trapped in these cycles or well on their way to an early grave, is to identify with accuracy the key driver(s).

      Professor Robert Sapolsky has spoken on the obesity problem, worth a listen and although I don't regard (from a layman's pov) the research as "hard science" at this time, there do appear to be determining factors through gene expression; which is an incredibly complex field of course, so difficult to speak on.

      That aside - I have listened to multiple patient accounts over the years regarding obesity and it's relatively clear that beyond gene expression, there is the inner voice to address and potentially trauma based conditions to look at, and/or ongoing ritualistic patterns of self-loathing.

      Toxic shame is a key driver underpinning a variety of mental health conditions and one of the chief "copes" for the pathologically driven, is addiction.

      We also know that substances like refined carbs, high fat (including dairy), are addictive substances and lead to craving. This is dope for somebody who wants to self-soothe and medicate when using food. The more weight that piles on, the more the mirror reflects back shame and the more that one needs to self-medicate. It's a tragic cycle.

      Certain sectors of the "so-called" food industry couldn't care less and although it's a consumer driven problem at the end of the day, I do think collectively we should legislate and enforce strict regulations against the proliferation of their toxic waste.

      I don't see what could be considered "experimental jabs" being anything other than yet another potentially lethal sticky plaster solution for deep rooted systemic issues in culture.



    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 months ago
      @Tom Well, I have been Vegan for many years (more of an ethical stance though) and managed to clear up (eventually) a rather chronic skin condition, that nowadays rarely flares, so anecdotally I think it's possible to make all sorts of "claims" about diet.

      I also eat high complex carbs and low fat and maintain a steady weight.

      While not claiming to be perfect of course, I still have problems and am getting older!

      The so-called "carnivore" diet, as many now call it, is a new "fad" doing the rounds and many of the claims are counter-intuitive and fly in the face of nutrition science. These ones have pushed the idea that high LDL is perfectly natural and actually beneficial for human physiology and health.

      The long-term consequences of high saturated fat intake has been known for decades to contribute to chronic health conditions.

      I'm not quite sure what a "natural protein" means Tom?

      The bottom line for me, after spending many hours listening to debates on diet, is that much of what we hear and read online is likely dubious.

      Anyway, better health to us all !
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 months ago
      @Tom Sorry I meant harebrained. And for the record, if that diet is high in saturated fat then it is very very bad for you. Even if you're not putting weight on. The scientific evidence is very clear on this.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 months ago
      @Tom Which is all very well and the government should do a lot more to promote healthy eating.

      Putting what this hairbrained government scheme aside, there is no doubt that some people will benefit greatly from this new class of drugs. Because many of these people have tried their best to follow a healthy diet and failed many times. For them drugs like these are literally potential life savers given the numerous ways obesity can send you to an early grave and give you numerous chronic health problems.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 months ago
    If someone is so obese that it has become a disability then they have either an eating disorder or a physical issue causing weight gain. Neither can be cured by a supposed weight loss jab.

    This is nonsense. Offensive and ableist nonsense at that.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 13 days ago
      @Sam Steroid patient here. Prior to the brain tumour I was 6 stone and physically very fit due to walking everywhere. 3 years on steroids and tumour drugs saw me 12 stone despite still walking everywhere. Go figure...
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 28 days ago
      @Aw I have a severe back injury , and cannot exercise. I have type 2 diabetes. Refused weight loss injection!! 
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 months ago
      @Aw These class of drug help with heart disease, pcos, insulin resistance and diabetes. The weight loss capabilities were discovered by accident. The conditions I mentioned above bar heart disease, are hormonal imbalances, can be made worse by obesity and can also cause obesity. Tirzepatide is also effective for type 1 diabetes which is not weight related but can cause weight gain and affect quality of life and thus work capability. 
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 months ago
      @Aw Certain medications can cause weight gain.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 months ago
      @Aw ALLOPATHIC medicine has never been about CURING people, it only “treats” symptoms
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 months ago
    Good article. Especially the summing up at the end. As I said earlier can't see this coming to fruition. 

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    · 1 months ago
    you are a number not a person.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 months ago
      @Sadly Simon I doubt it, they should try it on MP's and see if they get side effects etc.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 months ago
      @MrFibro
      From the article:

      "Up to 3,000 obese patients – a mixture of those in and out of work, and on sickness leave – will be recruited for a five-year study that will explore whether the medication boosts productivity and could bring more people back to the workplace."

      I wonder if there will be disclosure of "side effects" when using this "medication" and how many casualties we'll see.

      The genetics of obesity:

      "Although changes in the environment have undoubtedly driven the rapid increase in prevalence, obesity results from an interaction between environmental and innate biological factors. Crucially, there is a strong genetic component underlying the large interindividual variation in body weight that determines people’s response to this ‘obesogenic’ environment. Twin, family and adoption studies have estimated the heritability of obesity to be between 40% and 70%. As a consequence, genetic approaches can be leveraged to characterize the underlying physiological and molecular mechanisms that control body weight.

      Classically, we have considered obesity in two broad categories: so-called monogenic obesity, which is inherited in a Mendelian pattern, is typically rare, early-onset and severe and involves either small or large chromosomal deletions or single-gene defects; and polygenic obesity (also known as common obesity), which is the result of hundreds of polymorphisms that each have a small effect. Polygenic obesity follows a pattern of heritability that is similar to other complex traits and diseases. Although often considered to be two distinct forms, gene discovery studies of monogenic and polygenic obesity have converged on what seems to be broadly similar underlying biology. Specifically, the central nervous system (CNS) and neuronal pathways that control the hedonic aspects of food intake have emerged as the major drivers of body weight for both monogenic and polygenic obesity. Furthermore, early evidence shows that the expression of mutations causing monogenic obesity may — at least in part — be influenced by the individual’s polygenic susceptibility to obesity."

      Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41576-021-00414-z

      Many people reflexively use derogatory language when looking at a person who is overweight, I find my own mind being hyper-critical, yet I also must consider there are determining factors at play through gene expression.

      It is a complex situation to address and I don't see "jabs" being a solution whatsoever, especially considering the potential dire side effects of using this "medication".

      The poor souls engaging in the study should receive ongoing remuneration.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 months ago
    I can't see this happening. They cannot keep up with current demand as it is.

    Besides, it is demeaning to people on PIP who aren't claiming for reasons of obesity.

    It's as if the Government are suggesting that everyone on PIP are lazy barstewards and their problems are easy to solve when we know the reasons for people claiming the benefit are myriad and complex.

    If this the sort of crap Labour are going to come away with it doesn't bode well for the sick and disabled.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 months ago
    Unemployed people are going to be used as guinea pigs for drug trials!

    There have already been 222 reported deaths involving people who took Ozempic, and five of them are classified as "sudden death, and thousands who fell ill.

    Some severe potential side effects that may be connected to Ozempic and could lead to death include: Cancer, Deep vein thrombosis, Hypoglycemia, and Seizures or loss of consciousness.

    In the US, more than 17,600 severe health problems after taking Ozempic have been reported, including 7,851 that were deemed serious. There were 6,487 reports of health problems after taking Ozempic in 2023 alone.


  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 months ago
    The problem with being long term unemployed or sick is the longer you are the less likely anyone will touch you also it's hard to explain the big gap in your CV plus you won't have up-to-date job references
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 months ago
      @Jon You won't need any CV or job references for the kind of jobs Liz Kendall and co. have in mind - fruit picking or packaging warehouse, food delivery and similar, which do not require CV or job references.

      Remember, Mel Stride said early in this year that food delivery was best suited for over 50s!

      They don't care about people getting jobs or what type of jobs they would like to do. All they're after is taking as many claimants as possible off benefits.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 months ago
      @Jon @Jon my last employment was 1997 so theirs no point in updating my cv?I had no migration letter yet so going to try and enjoy my last Xmas of peace and quiet and goodwill to all men
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 months ago
      @Jon "big gap in your CV"

      Basically - "lie" or be dumped in the nearest bin.

      A guy I knew years ago, who was able bodied, slightly narcissistic, used to fabricate his CV and managed to weasel his way into ill-suited roles. He had the gift of the gab and a decent suit.

      It's possible to fabricate references as well - with the right connections.

      I think Chat GPT will be working overtime in the future, churning out CVs for the disaffected, unemployable and terminally ill.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 months ago
    "unveiled a £279 million investment from pharmaceutical giant Lilly"

    Potential "serious" side effects:

    Vision changes.
    Mood regulation issues.
    Heart arythmia.
    Dizziness.
    Thyroid issues.
    Severe stomach cramps.
    Jaundice.
    Kidney issues.
    Stomach-flu-like symptoms.
    Diarrhoea.

    (among other potentialities)

    Would it be unkind to suggest that any member of parliament backing this idea, who themselves are classed as clinically obese, are the first in line for the jab?

    I would think the "occasional" MP who actively despises "fatties" will be salivating at the thought of the useless eaters being jabbed and prodded with poison.

    While CEOs in good old big pharma are cracking open the bubbly in delight.

    Possibly a time to invest our peanuts in specific market shares?


    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 28 days ago
      @lesley
      I'm sorry to hear about your friend's death, but a heart attack is a known postoperative complication of bariatric surgery. It's something he would have been told of prior to surgery, and he would have had to sign a consent form to say he understood the risks.
      That was not a conspiracy to kill off fat unemployed people. Qualifying for bariatric surgery on the NHS is not easy.

      The Mounjaro injections is a 5 year pilot based in Manchester, covering obese people in and out of work. No-one is being forced to take the injections, it's entirely voluntary.
      The drug has already been through extensive testing prior to its release. Of course as for every drug it has side effects, some of which are considerable.
      Personally, I wouldn't take it.

      You just need to read more about it for the truth.



    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 months ago
      @Peter I can only speak for myself - but there is no way I would risk taking that particular drug, if I was inspired to change, I think other interventions would be top of the list for me.

      I do not struggle with obesity though.

      I agree in general with your points here though.

      Aside from determining factors through gene expression - I think we need to look at the underlying driver(s) in terms of how an individual "ticks" psychologically speaking.

      What is the overriding self-narrative, what flavour of internalised bullying takes place, where does the self-loathing and shame resonate from?

      We also need to legislate against food companies who show a blatant disregard for public health, when placing their toxic waste on shelves across the nation.

      If we consider a heroin addict, for instance, we can't just pop along to Tesco for fix.

      These are systemic issues which can't be solved by a jab, pill or stapled stomach.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 months ago
      @Sadly Simon Also yes sadly quite a few members of the Houses of Parliament are obese, as are some prominant journalists. I would name who I think is clincally obese I won't name him for fear of fat shaming but he's a BBC journalist who joined GBNews at one point.

      I think naming MPs is tricky due to fat shaming but any MP or member of the HoLs who is involved in any way in setting government policy that affects the obese but particularly those that are sick due to obesity or are clinically obese and at more at risk, should be made to declare whether they are obese, what category of obese they are in and what would help.

      But that's also a problem because in this case they would argue that they're obese and still able to function. I just hope though that it would make them put themselves in other people shoes but we are talking about politicians here.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 months ago
      @Sadly Simon Look I am not in favour of what they're trying to do but all drugs have side effects. 

      The point is, you can't just look at them in isolation. You need to look at complications caused by the illness they're trying to treat and obesity is incredibly bad for your health in so many ways.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 months ago
      @Sadly Simon Thanks Lilly i'm sure you'll be making billions of the backs of sick people.

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