NHS England Abolition Virtual Panel Discussion
NHS England Abolition: What Could It Mean for Weight Management Services?
The Obesity All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) recently convened a virtual roundtable to explore the potential implications of the Government’s plans to abolish NHS England and integrate its functions into the Department of Health and Social Care.
Chaired by Mary Glindon MP, Chair of the Obesity APPG, the discussion brought together clinicians, academics and people with lived experience, including:
Professor Susan Jebb, Professor of Diet and Population Health, University of Oxford
Sarah Le Brocq, Founder and Director, All About Obesity CIC
Professor David Strain, Thematic Research Lead for Health to the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, and Associate Professor of Cardiometabolic Health at the University of Exeter Medical School
Dr Jonathan Hazlehurst, Consultant Endocrinologist and Clinical Academic, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
Risks and opportunities
Panellists discussed how structural reform could affect the commissioning, delivery and coordination of weight management services across England. Concerns were raised about the risk of increased fragmentation, widening regional variation between Integrated Care Systems, and the potential deprioritisation of specialist and community services in the absence of clear national oversight.
At the same time, some contributors highlighted potential opportunities arising from reform, including closer alignment between national programmes and ministerial priorities, improved pathway design, and better integration of obesity care with services for other long-term conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Lived experience at the centre
People with lived experience emphasised the importance of dignity, stigma-free care and continuity of access during periods of organisational change. Panellists highlighted the risk that uncertainty around eligibility and accountability could lead to patients falling through the gaps, reinforcing the need for clear national strategies and meaningful patient involvement in future service design.
What next?
While views differed on whether the abolition of NHS England presents greater risk or opportunity, there was broad agreement that reform should be judged by outcomes for patients. Structural change must not result in a loss of services or widening inequalities, and should support accessible, equitable and long-term approaches to obesity prevention and treatment.
The insights from this session will inform the APPG’s ongoing policy work, including forthcoming publications and future parliamentary engagement on the delivery of weight management services.