OBESITY AND THE QUALITY AND OUTCOMES FRAMEWORK

That this House notes that obesity rates in Great Britain continue to grow; further notes that the NHS Information Centre estimated in February 2012 that over a quarter of the UK population was obese; further notes that overweight people are much more likely to suffer from poor health, including type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease; further notes that treating such conditions will impose a considerable financial burden on both the NHS and society asa whole, whichthe Foresight Report 2007 estimated could cost society 50 billion per year by 2050; believes that action needs to be taken now to ensure that primary care professionals help patients to help themselves lose weight and lead healthier lives; welcomes the new National Obesity Forum campaign to amend the Quality and Outcomes Framework to incentivise GPs to offer weight management advice and help; and calls on the Government to support this campaign using all resources at its disposal in order to avert a financial crisis for the NHS.