will also be urged to offer incentives to staff who shed pounds

Workers who lose weight will be rewarded with cash or shopping vouchers, under radical new NHS-backed plans to tackle the obesity crisis

Overweight people will be paid to lose weight, under radical new Government plans unveiled today to tackle the escalating obesity crisis

Under the NHS-backed scheme, those who shed the pounds will be rewarded with cash or shopping vouchers.

Incentives could be higher or lower depending on the amount of weight a participant loses, although the amounts are still unclear.

However only those with a job will qualify - and employers will also be urged to offer incentives to staff who shed pounds.

Firms would receive tax breaks from the Government and would also some funding to set up slimming or exercise classes.

The move is part of a wider effort to ease the strain placed on the NHS by fat patients.

More than two thirds of UK adults are clinically overweight or obese and the NHS spends £5 billion a year treating obesity-related illnesses.

Under the new plans, NHS staff will also be urged to 'set a national example'.

Access to unhealthy foods on NHS premises will be cut and staff will have their health and wellbeing 'measured'.

Around 700,000 of the NHS's 1.3 million staff are either overweight or obese

NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens said earlier this year that staff must 'get our own act together' before lecturing the public on cutting down on calories.

He said too many hospitals serve 'chips and burgers' to both patients and staff - and the latter face being banned from eating junk food in hospital canteens to force them to set an example to patients.

Mr Stevens said workplace schemes to encourage weight loss have been largely ignored - despite success abroad.

He personally managed to lose nearly 3st thanks to a weight-loss incentive scheme at his previous job, the U.S. insurance firm United Healthcare.

Mr Stevens said the tax-payer funded NHS has led to a 'blind spot' about the healthcare of employees.

He explained: 'Employers in many countries have developed voluntary schemes for their employees whereby, for example, you actually get cash back based on participation in Weight Watchers, or other type schemes.'

Asked what sorts of rewards could be offered, he said: 'It could be shopping vouchers, it could be cash, it could be prizes.'

It is understood the NHS plans to 'challenge' firms to bring in such schemes rather than offer them money.

NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens personally managed to lose nearly 3st thanks due to an incentive scheme at his at his previous job an a U.S. insurance firm. Dr Sally Norton (right), a weight loss surgeon, said such schemes could reduce the number of sick days taken by 50 per cent

Mr Stevens added that obesity is 'getting worse in some respects' and described the issue among children as a significant future health threat.

He said: 'When your son or daughter starts primary school one in 10 children are obese.

IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO EAT HEALTHILY, SAY STRESSED NHS STAFF Stress at work and no time to eat nutritious meals are to blame for so many medical staff to eating badly, a survey claims. Six out of 10 nurses are too stressed to eat healthily, according to a poll by Nursing Standard magazine. Almost 3,500 nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants from around the country took part in the research. Sixty per cent of respondents said workplace stress had a negative effect on their diet, while 79 per cent reported that a lack of breaks made it difficult to eat a healthy meal at work. Fifty six per cent said poor staffing levels had a knock-on effect on their diet. Of those polled, 73 per cent of respondents said they are heavier than they would like to be. Seventy six per cent said they feel they should be eating more healthily, while 65 per cent are trying to lose weight. A staggering 74 per cent of those who work night shifts say vending machine snacks are often the only meal option available, while only 33 per cent rated the overall quality of food on offer in their workplace as good or excellent. Advertisement

'By the time they reach Year 6 that's doubled to one in five, so something is going wrong with the way in which we are keeping our children healthy and setting them up for a good start in life.'

The NHS must also make a concerted effort to address the root causes of ill health - such as poor diets, alcohol consumption and smoking, a landmark report published today said,

Called the Five Year Forward View, and published by the NHS, it said: 'Put bluntly, as the nation's waistline keeps piling on the pounds, we're piling on billions of pounds in future taxes just to pay for preventable illnesses.

It added: 'The future health of millions of children, the sustainability of the NHS, and the economic prosperity of Britain all now depend on a radical upgrade in prevention and public health.'

Discussing the report, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt insisted people needed to take responsibility for their own health.

Speaking on ITV's Good Morning Britain, he said: 'The report is not saying the Government should give people cash.

'If we are going to have a sustainable health service going forward we all have to take responsibility.

'One shocking statistic is the number of children who go into primary school obese is 10 per cent and the number of primary school children who leave obese is 20 per cent. We have got to stop this.'

Dr Sally Norton, a weight loss surgeon, told MailOnline that while employers might shudder at introducing such schemes, they could reduce the number of sick days taken by 50 per cent.

She said: 'Employers should take note of the boom in workplace wellness programmes in the U.S.

'There, companies have seen the benefit of caring for their staff.

'UK employers lose over £20 billion a year due to absenteeism, but the costs of presenteeism - reduced productivity at work due to ill-health or poor fitness - may be three times higher.

She added that being overweight or obese increases the number of sickness days taken by 50 per cent - equating to approximately £14 billion a year in lost revenue.

More than two thirds of UK adults are clinically overweight or obese and the NHS spends £5 billion a year treating obesity-related illnesses.

£200 OFF COUNCIL TAX BILL FOR VOLUNTEERS WHO FEED ELDERLY The weight loss incentive scheme was announced as part of a wider shake-up of the healthcare system in England in the next parliament proposed by NHS bosses. Other measures include tax cuts for volunteers and 'breaking down the boundaries' between GPs and hospitals. The report also includes plans to recruit an army of volunteers to help feed elderly dementia patients in hospital or care for them at home. These members of the public would then get 10 per cent off their annual council tax bill – as much as £200 depending on where they live. It does not yet specify how much voluntary work would need to be done to be entitled to this benefit or the exact tasks entailed. Advertisement

'If we don’t challenge the causes of illness then the NHS is at risk of becoming bankrupt.

'While many people argue 'surely it is down to the individual to take responsibility for their own weight and wellbeing' - maybe in an ideal world.

'But this is the real world and we need to face facts.'

The weight loss incentive scheme was announced as part of a wider shake-up of the healthcare system in England in the next parliament proposed by NHS bosses.

Other measures include tax cuts for volunteers and 'breaking down the boundaries' between GPs and hospitals.

The report also includes plans to recruit an army of volunteers to help feed elderly dementia patients in hospital or care for them at home.

These members of the public would then get 10 per cent off their annual council tax bill – as much as £200 depending on where they live.