Up to 40,000 tubby Brits a year will be given free Fitbits on the NHS to slash diabetes risk

UP to 40,000 tubby Brits a year will be given free Fitbits on the NHS to slash their risk of developing diabetes.

GPs have been told to enrol 200,000 people a year on to the health service’s radical new fat-fighting programme.

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They will take part in £435-a-head slimming schemes that offer advice, alongside free cookery and exercise classes.

But those who struggle to attend regular appointments will instead get NHS-funded activity trackers, such as Fitbits, to help cut their weight.

As well as using wearable tech, participants will get six weeks of digital healthy living classes.

In pilot trials, seven in ten people referred to the online slimming scheme stayed the course.

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It compares with half who were given face-to-face support. And the digital intervention was twice as popular with younger Brits.

One in five patients — around 40,000 — is expected to opt to lose weight this way.

Public Health England’s Dr Jennifer Smith said: “Many of us use on-the-go digital technology every day and this is a fabulous next step in diabetes prevention.”

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