Wales will view obesity as a “chronic condition rather than a short-term issue”, the Senedd has been told.

Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health, Nerys Evans, confirmed Public Health Wales has secured the funding through the obesity pathway innovation programme.

The funding will be used to develop new NHS treatment models for obesity, viewing it as a chronic condition rather than a short-term issue.

The announcement followed a speech to the Senedd, where Ms Evans outlined her preventative healthcare priorities and drew on the words of Aneurin Bevan: “The victories won by preventive medicine are much the most important for mankind.”

Reform’s James Evans pressed the deputy minister on the longer term impacts of weight loss medication.

He said: “I think one thing we have to be careful with, with weight-loss medication, is that, yes, it is changing lives, but it's not changing lifestyles.

“It cannot be seen as a silver bullet to losing weight long term, because we do know about the longer term health impacts, with osteoporosis in women, with people with cardiovascular problems emerging from these jabs”.

Mr Evans asked his opposite number if she will be working with primary care, gyms, and leisure providers to ensure people on weight loss medication are also making lifestyle changes.

“If you don't, it's just a vicious circle,” Mr Evans explained.

“You'll come off it, you'll put weight back on again, and you're back on the jabs and then end up in A&E with longer term problems, and that's no way to help our health service.”

The deputy minister agreed, adding that it is about “creating that system of support around individuals for those lifestyle choices”.

Ms Evans revealed Public Health Wales has recently been successful in co-ordinating a Wales-wide bid for funding through the obesity pathway innovation programme.

She said: “That's £8 million of funding in order to look at these issues, to develop and test approaches that could form part of that delivery model going forward.

“We want to be looking at treating obesity as a chronic condition, and, obviously, the changes that would mean in terms of how the NHS would respond to that would be key.”