Health Innovation East Midlands is proud to have supported two East Midlands’ health systems to successfully bid for funding from the national Obesity Pathway Innovation Programme (OPIP).

Twelve pilot programmes across the country will run for three years, and the findings will be used to influence national services in the future, to make weight loss services more accessible and more effective.

Across the Midlands, the health innovation networks have supported four successful programmes in their funding applications — two in the West Midlands and two in the East Midlands — representing around a third of all successful projects nationally.

In the East Midlands, Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR) Integrated Care Board (ICB) will receive £8m to transform weight management services for local people.

We helped the ICB to design the project plans and to develop and prepare for the successful LLR bid. As the work progresses, we are looking forward to continuing to provide implementation support and advising around digital pathway products to help make specialist weight management support more accessible for local people

We also supported Lincolnshire ICB’s bid to bring specialist weight management support to the county for the first time, so people will no longer need to travel outside the county for the care they need.

Designed for people who need more specialist support; doctors and mental health experts will be available face-to-face, as well as through phone calls and apps, making it easy to get support in a way that suits people’s lives. HIEM will lead the independent evaluation of the new pathway.

Eddie Alder, Programme Delivery Director at HIEM said: “It’s been great to work with the ICBs and we’re delighted that the two bids were successful. The funding will provide additional valuable resources to the area and help transform weight management services for local people. The learning from the successful projects will be shared nationally to help other teams introduce their own services.”

Independent grant funding has been provided by Eli Lilly and Company Limited in addition to the funding contributed by the Department for Science Innovation and Technology.  The OPIP is being delivered through Innovate UK.

For more information visit https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pioneering-projects-to-transform-obesity-care-backed-by-85-million-from-government-and-industry