A new programme to test new ways to support patients living with obesity is being backed by to £85 million from government and pharmaceutical company Lilly.

The programme will enable access to weight management care more easily through new routes like digital platforms, local community-based access, and pharmacies.

Improving the health of patients living with obesity will help to ease pressure on the NHS and GPs, as well as helping more people living with obesity to participate fully in work.

The government will contribute up to £50 million of new UK-wide investment, and Lilly will contribute up to £35 million of grant funding.

NHS organisations will need to come up with proposals to apply for a share of the funding.

Health secretary Wes Streeting said: "Obesity is now one of the leading causes of ill health, costing the NHS billions. Yet, we now have the science, technology and knowledge to help tackle the obesity epidemic, if we seize this opportunity.

"As we shift our focus from treatment to prevention with our 10 Year Health Plan we are also determined to bring revolutionary modern care to everyone that needs it, not just those who can afford to pay.

"This collaboration will help patients living with obesity in a matter of months – through testing better access to weight loss services and treatments.

"In the long-term it will inform how we can better tackle one of the biggest modern day health challenges and, through our Plan for Change, create an NHS that is fit for the future."

Science and technology secretary Peter Kyle said: "New ways of accessing support to tackle obesity, such as through pharmacies or with help from digital tools, could be transformational for people’s quality of life, and for society – allowing individuals to more easily manage their weight and freeing them from ill-health that holds them back in daily life – while reducing the strain on our NHS.

"This programme also underlines life sciences’ critical value to our Plan for Change and our modern Industrial Strategy. By working hand-in-hand with one of the world’s largest life sciences companies, we are driving investment into the UK and tackling one of the greatest health challenges of our era."