UK NHS Expands Digital Health and Weight-Loss Services

The UK government has announced a ten-year NHS modernization plan integrating digital health tools, including virtual therapists, AI-driven cancer checks, and weight-loss apps, as standard treatment options. NICE will assess the cost-effectiveness of these digital products, which the NHS will fund and provide. The initiative expands free access to anti-obesity jabs like Wegovy and Mounjaro in community pharmacies, high streets, shopping centres, and through digital-only services. Payment to providers will be outcome-based, rewarding improvements in health metrics such as reduced heart attacks and cancer cases. The reforms emphasize fair access based on medical need, with a wider role for pharmacists and a national procurement system to reduce regional health disparities. Strong public support, especially among younger adults, underpins the government's aim to shift the NHS toward preventative care.