£1.3m research grant awarded for three year study to evaluate effectiveness of digital weight management

A three-year study to determine how well a digital weight management tool helps people with obesity in south east London lose weight has won a £1.3m grant from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

The funding is via the NIHR Invention for Innovation (i4i) Programme, which is aimed at medical devices, in vitro diagnostic devices and digital health technologies addressing an existing or emerging health or social care need.

The Health Innovation Network (HIN) South London, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London (KCL) have been awarded the grant to undertake a three-year study to determine the clinical and cost-effectiveness and implementation of a digitally enabled tier 3 weight management platform Roczen in south east London. The project will start in November 2024. HIN SL and KCL will be the analytical partners jointly leading the study working alongside clinical staff in Guy’s and St Thomas’ Centre for Obesity and Roczen. The study will be supported by three lived experience partners, who will be embedded in the study team.

Andrew Walker, Head of Insights at the HIN SL said: “Obesity is a major issue for our local community in south London. We are very excited to test if digital innovation can help address this and see if our work could potentially be scaled up to help people with obesity across the country.”

Dr Laura Falvey, Executive Clinical Director for Reset Health & Roczen, said: “This groundbreaking study puts Roczen and our partners at the forefront of exploring the future of obesity care in the UK. With a focus on the patient experience, we aim to answer key questions about how the NHS can improve and sustain weight management services through tech-enabled clinical care. Over the next three years, we’re excited to set a high standard for what’s possible in improving the lives of people living with obesity.”

Professor Emma Duncan, from King’s College London, said: “Our study exemplifies translational research as we take novel digital innovations into the clinical space. We hope this project will show that proven interventions can be delivered virtually to help people living with obesity, whoever they are, wherever they are and whenever they want, cost-effectively and sustainably. This grant also highlights what we can achieve when we work as a team: individuals with lived experience, academics, clinicians, digital experts, and health economists – a true partnership to deliver better health care.”

Professor Mike Lewis, NIHR’s Scientific Director for Innovation, said: “The UK is a hotbed of innovation but the NHS sometimes misses out on the opportunity to adopt new digital technologies at scale. This competition gives seven organisations the chance to gather the real-world evidence to show impact and support their adoption at scale."