The NHS have launched a new scheme to help people living within the UK to lose weight and get paid for doing so. NHS Eastern and Coastal Kent has said it needs 300 overweight volunteers to sign-up for the project with earnings estimated between £70 and £425 for reaching personal weight loss targets.

Those who wish to participate in the scheme are rewarded if they reach key performance indicators (kpi) £70 if they lose 15lb, a further £90 for losing 30lb and another £265 to shed 50lbs – a total of £425.

Participants will only receive half of the money if they reach the kpi targets. The rest is handed over if they keep it off for six months.

Already, there is rising condemnation to the ‘Pounds for Pounds’ weight-loss incentive scheme. Claiming that the NHS is already cash-strapped and that weight loss should be a personal, financial choice and that the UK government should stop trying to be a ‘Nanny State‘!

Final word goes to Claire Martin, public health specialist for the NHS in East Kent, who said: “Achieving a healthier weight and encouraging people to choose a healthier lifestyle are major issues for the health service … We hope this trial will help establish whether financial incentives can motivate people to shed the pounds – and keep them off.”