BBCJob coaches will visit seriously ill patients on mental health wards to try to get them back to work, the government has said.

The British government announced a multimillion dollar pharmaceutical partnership with Eli Lilly, including a trial that will study the impact of a weight-loss drug on work and productivity.Around one in four adults in Britain is obese, according to estimates from the country’s National Health Service, and the problem costs the public health care system billions every year.Now, the government says that weight-loss injections might be part of the solution, and might even help boost Britain’s productivity, which has been sluggish for years.Studies show that people with obesity are more likely to find that ill health affects their productivity and attendance at work.On Monday, the government announced a 279 million pound (around $365 million) investment from the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly. Among other things, the investment will help explore new ways of delivering health services to people living with obesity, and include a five-year trial of the company’s drug tirzepatide, also known as Mounjaro, which is used to treat diabetes and for weight loss.The trial, in the Greater Manchester area in northern England, will study the effectiveness of tirzepatide in bringing about weight loss, preventing diabetes and tackling obesity-related health conditions. It will also aim to collect data on whether the drug leads to changes in participants’ employment status and sick days from work, according to a statement from the Health Innovation Network, the innovation arm of the N.H.S.The government said that up to 3,000 people could eventually take part in the study.Prime Minister Keir Starmer, speaking to BBC Breakfast on Tuesday, said he believed the drugs could be “very important for our economy and for health,” adding that tirzepatide “will be very helpful to people who want to lose weight, need to lose weight, very important for the economy so people can get back into work.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe.

Getty ImagesSir Keir Starmer and his health secretary have been

Lisa HawkerThe family of a young girl say her life was saved after a pioneering study was able to diagnose her incredibly rare genetic disorder, leading to better treatment.

Unemployed people living with obesity could be given new weight loss jabs to help them get back into work, the health secretary has said.

The way patient safety is regulated and monitored is to be completely overhauled in England, the health secretary has announced.

BBC“I want to contribute to society. I dream of living with friends in supported living, not far from St James’ Park, and getting a job.”

Hundreds of thousands of children with suspected neurodevelopmental conditions in England, including autism and ADHD, face unacceptably long waits to be diagnosed, the

Supplies of a highly nutritious treatment are running out, according to UNICEF.Nearly two million children may die of malnutrition because a product used to treat the condition is in short supply, the United Nations Children’s Fund said on Monday.Four countries — Mali, Nigeria, Niger and Chad — have exhausted their supplies of the peanut-based, high-nutrient product, called ready-to-use therapeutic food, or are on the brink of doing so. Another eight nations, including South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, could run out by mid-2025.“Urgent action is needed now to save the lives of nearly two million children who are fighting this silent killer,” Victor Aguayo, UNICEF’s director for child nutrition and development, said in a statement.Severe acute malnutrition, or wasting, can result from poor nutrition during gestation and in infancy, limited access to safe drinking water, and relentless attacks by multiple infections.The children may be stunted and may have prominent ribs and other bones, dry skin and brittle hair. They are diagnosed with the condition when they have a very low weight for their height (or length, in the case of infants); a mid-upper arm circumference of less than 4.5 inches; or a buildup of fluid in the legs, arms and face.Severe acute malnutrition affects an estimated 19 million children under the age of 5 worldwide and may account for about 400,000 deaths among children each year, according to the World Health Organization.Children who are severely malnourished have weak immune defenses, leaving them vulnerable to the diseases that circulate in poorer countries, particularly in crisis zones, such as diarrhea, pneumonia, malaria and measles.UNICEF relies on ready-to-use therapeutic food to treat children with severe wasting. Other organizations use similar products to help children at less serious stages of malnutrition. Children may need the food, along with medical care, for up to eight weeks before they are beyond danger.UNICEF estimated that in 2023, the food reached about 73 percent of the children in need and averted the deaths of 1.2 million children younger than 5.But war, civil conflicts, climate change and economic crises that have derailed global supply chains have all contributed to hunger emergencies, as have prolonged droughts and floods in the Sahel region of Africa.In Mali, supplies of the food began running low in late July. In Chad and Niger, it is expected to run out by the end of this month, and in Cameroon by the end of the year.Since 2022, UNICEF has raised about $933 million to support its malnutrition programs. It is now calling for donations of $165 million to refresh supplies of R.U.T.F., in addition to a $100 million donation that the United States recently made.

Jessie HallettAfter an 18-hour bender that finished at 9am, the “beer fear and anxiety” got too much, and Jessie Hallett knew she had to quit drinking.