Oviva recommended by NICE for weight management services

Oviva recommended by NICE for weight management services unknown

Oviva has been recommended by The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as a safe, effective and cost-efficient way to manage complex obesity cases and tackle growing NHS waiting lists.

The announcement means many more thousands of people with complex obesity can use the digital tool to help tackle their weight and lead longer, healthier lives. Oviva is one of four digital platforms to receive a recommendation. Alongside Oviva, is Liva, Roczen and Second Nature allowing specialists to deliver personal, virtual weight loss services.

Calculations predict that as many as 48,000 people will now be able to access specialist weight loss help digitally, through the four platforms. Should all those eligible choose to take part, as many as 145,000 hours of clinician time could be saved.

Oviva chief clinical officer Lucy Jones, said: “We are delighted with NICE’s recommendation, it paves the way for us to help many thousands more people who are stuck in the NHS backlog, dealing with severe and complex obesity.

“Face-to-face support will only ever be accessible to a small percentage of people due to barriers like travel, childcare, stigma, time off work and language. And people with these types of complex needs should not be left to buy medication and take it off their own back.

“Through remote and digital services, we can support more people living with obesity within the same fixed budget. They can track their habits and progress remotely while getting regular feedback and specialist support from a dietitian.

“NICE’s backing marks huge progress in the fight against obesity.”

The company provides digitally-enabled specialist weight management (Tier 3) services in the NHS and is now the largest Tier 3 services provider. It currently provides its services to six English Integrated Care Systems as well as five Scottish Health Boards.

In 2021 the NHS launched the Liva online platform backed by £12m funding. The NHS Digital Weight Management Programme provides free, online support for people with weight-related illnesses.