This In Focus note examines the increasing number of adults and children in the United Kingdom classified as 'overweight' or ‘obese’. It examines how obesity is measured, the latest statistics available on the issue, and the reported costs of obesity to the National Health Service and wider economy.
Obesity Levels in England (104 KB , PDF)
The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) have released new statistics which reveal that the proportion of adults classified as overweight or obese in England appears to have increased significantly over the last decade. Recent findings from the Nuffield Trust have also suggested that the levels of obesity could rise yet further, and that by 2034 approximately 70 percent of adults in England could be classified as either overweight or obese. With many health impacts reportedly linked to obesity—such as an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes or coronary heart disease—the current cost to the National Health Service of this issue is estimated to be around £5 billion every year. It has also been suggested that this annual cost could rise to £9.7 billion by 2050.
Obesity Levels in England (104 KB , PDF)
In 2024, the House of Lords established a committee to consider the prevention and consequences of preterm birth in England. This briefing provides a summary of the House of Lords Preterm Birth Committee's finding, reactions to its report, and the government’s response, ahead of a debate in the House of Lords on 6 June 2025.
The House of Lords is due to discuss NHS staff access to single-sex spaces on 1 May 2025. Following a recent Supreme Court judgment about the meaning of the term ‘sex’ in the Equality Act 2010, the Equality and Human Rights Commission issued an interim update on 25 April 2025 about the implications of this for workplaces and services provided to the public.
In England, the NHS provides prosthetics where suitable for people who have had a limb amputation. However, concerns have been raised about how quickly individuals can access multifunctional limbs. Also, while high-performance sports prosthetics are available for children, some campaigners are calling for adults to be able to access them from the NHS.
