Versa Health is a new way to lose weight using a behaviour change programme and meal replacements. It has been created by NHS GPs based on science and our clinical experience.

There are 2 key aspects to our service: 

1. We support you to lose weight quickly and safely through a scientifically proven low calorie meal replacement programmes. 

2. We support you to build healthier lifestyle habits and maintain the weight loss through ongoing personal clinical support. 

This is a clinical intervention supported by our highly experienced and friendly team of clinicians – no unqualified “health coaches” or “weight consultants” here. 

Our service is led by NHS GPs who oversee all aspects of the service and work with an incredible team of dietitians, nutritionists and therapists to support your journey with us.

63% of the UK population is overweight. Many of our chronic diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, vascular disease, strokes and type 2 diabetes are caused by the same underlying cause: excess weight. Excess weight, is also known to cause 13 different types of cancers. 

Historically the approach in the medical profession has been to use pharmaceutical drugs to reduce some of your risk factors and whilst these are helpful there is one thing none of them do adequately – address the underlying cause of your disease.

Our approach is to address the underlying cause of lifestyle related chronic disease. 

Combining the latest scientific evidence and our years of NHS experience we’ve created a programme that helps you lose weight rapidly and safely under clinical supervision. Most importantly we’ve created a system that supports maintenance of the weight loss long term – no fad short term diets.

The UK based DiRECT clinical trial

The DiRECT clinical trial published in December 2017 focused on the effects of weight-loss using 800 calorie meal replacements and subsequent weight maintenance as a method to potentially reverse type 2 diabetes.

The trial involved splitting over 280 patients across the UK into 2 groups. One group received traditional GP care whilst the treatment group received low calorie total diet replacement. 

Overall almost 1 in 2 (46%) managed to reverse their diabetes. The likelihood of reversal was closely linked to the amount of weight loss. 

For people who lost more than 15kg, almost 9 out of 10 (86%)managed to reverse their diabetes!

Other benefits included lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, lower use of medication and a feeling of improved quality of life.

It is important to remember this is not a cure for type 2 diabetes. If you regain the weight it may return therefore maintaining the weight loss is crucially important. 

The UK based DROPLET clinical trial

The groundbreaking DROPLET trial was published in 2018. During this trial, 270 adult participants who had a BMI of ≥30 kg/m2 were recruited in 10 primary care practices in the UK.

The practices were randomly assigned to provide either a weight management intervention like our Fast 4 Plan or routine support. The weight management intervention included total meal replacement (ca. 800 kcal/day) followed by a phased food reintroduction phase and a subsequent long-term weight maintenance phase.

Participants in the total meal replacement group lost an average of 10.7kg compared to 3.1kg in the usual care group, maintained at 12 months. The intervention group also had greater improvements in cardiovascular and metabolic risk markers than the standard care group.

Our programmes are based on the protocols used in the Droplet and Direct clinical trials. They are split into 3 phases :

Phase 1 – the rapid weight loss phase

• This phase lasts between 8-12 weeks depending on your progress through the programme
• During this phase you will consume 3 or 4 of our total diet replacement products per day
• Each product contains 200 calories meaning you will be consuming approximately 800 – 1000 calories per day
• Our clinical team will closely monitor your weight.
• You will be assigned your own personal Registered Nutritionist who will contact you regularly every week to 2 weeks throughout this phase. You will be able to also contact them anytime by phone, email or via our Nutrium App if you have questions or should any issues arise.
• We will support you through planned life events such birthdays and holidays as well as unplanned life events to keep you on track.
• During this phase our specialist GPs may need to amend your medication and they will work with your GP to ensure this is done safely.

Phase 2 – the food re-introduction phase

• During weeks 13 – 16 we will drop one of your total diet replacement products every week and replace it with a delicious healthy meal personalised to your existing tastes and habits
• We will start to introduce some really simple lifestyle changes for you to try, to increase your daily movement and reduce the amount of time you sit. These form part of our Five Elements – see phase 3
• We will help you to start modifying your home environment and food shopping habits so that we create barriers to making unhealthy choices
• With your permission we may contact your spouse/partner to advise them how they can support you during this phase
• We will continue to monitor your weight every 2 weeks

Phase 3 – the long term weight maintenance phase

• After week 16 we will focus on our “Five Elements” which aims to create a healthy environment for you and your family from which good health ensues naturally and with minimal effort.
• We help you learn to plan for events such as birthdays, weddings and meals out so that you fully enjoy socialising with family and friends
• We are also here to support you when life throws a wobbly – we call them unplanned life events – such as an unexpected job loss or bereavement. During these times some of us comfort eat and that is ok. Our team will support you as you need during times of crisis and help you get back on track when you are ready
• If you regain some weight don’t worry – we will pick it up early and have strategies to help you lose it again quickly and easily.

Good question! Consuming less calories than you burn for a sustained period of time can be hard and requires high levels of motivation and meal planning. The 800 calorie meal replacement approach has been scientifically proven by 2 clinical trials (DiRECT and DROPLET trials) in the UK to induce rapid weight loss safely in a short space of time. Our products are nutritionally complete and ensure you get the right amount of protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals while consuming a low number of calories. 

Our products taste delicious due to their unique flavour profile and because they do not contain intense artificial sweeteners. Our team are experienced in working with you to add herbs and spices to the soups to add variety and also non-strachy vegetables in some cases. They keep you full and satisfied as well as help break old habits of snacking at certain times of the day.

1. Check you meet our inclusion and exclusion criteria (see below). If you are not sure feel free to contact us. We are always happy to talk to you about our programme.
2. In the shop tab you choose your products. We recommend a minimum of 4 weeks supply to get you started.
3. Complete the purchase – that’s it.
4. Our clinical team will contact you within 48 hours to welcome you to our service and assign you your one to one registered nutritionist.

Low calorie diets are suitable for most people but not everyone. Please check you meet the requirements below; if you’re not sure don’t worry – we will check for you when you join:

You are suitable if you meet the following:

• Minimum age of 18. No upper age limit
• Minimum BMI 25
• You are motivated to lose weight and participate in the program

You are not suitable if you meet the following:

• Current insulin use
• HbA1C >108 mmol/mol
• Poor kidney function
• Severe or unstable heart failure
• Heart attack or stroke within 6 months
• Pregnant / breastfeeding or considering pregnancy
• Severe mental health issues including use of antipsychotics and substance misuse
• Patients with dementia
• People having active treatment for cancer
• Active liver disease
• Porphyria
• Palliative patients

If you are unsure about any of the above just contact us at hello@versahealth.co.uk

Please check with your own GP if you are suitable to start this programme. 

If you are taking medication for any condition please check with your GP if it is safe to start this programme. Due to the weight loss there is often an improvement in blood pressure and blood markers such as cholesterol and diabetes. Your GP may want to monitor your levels and may reduce the number of pills you take.

We have a dedicated service for people with type 2 diabetes who want to lose weight. Please see our sister service The Diabetes Reversal Company at www.thedrc.com for more information.

Due to the rapid weight loss the doctors at The DRC may need to reduce the number of pills you take to prevent hypoglycaemia (low blood sugars) and possible hypotension (low blood pressure).

Our doctors at The DRC will advise you what changes need to be made and we will always inform your own NHS GP. We work in partnership with your GP and may speak to them to ensure you get the best care.

We have developed strict de-prescribing protocols to manage this process and are fully insured to do this on behalf of your GP.

The price of each plan is displayed on the shop page. It is important to remember the meal replacements will replace the food you would normally buy thereby reducing your weekly shopping bill.

According to the Office of National Statistics the average spend on food and non-alcoholic beverages in the UK is £60 per week per person. Alcohol adds considerably more to our weekly spend.

Its tempting to think that you can simply buy the products and lose weight. You may have tried this with other weight loss companies and lost some weight only to find you’ve slowly regained it! Our experience is that we all need support to help motivate us and keep us accountable to ourselves. The clinical service is included in the cost of the products during phases 1 and 2 and includes the following:

• You will be closely monitored and supported by our clinical team remotely to ensure you are losing weight safely
• You will be given full access to our Nutrium App where you can message your nutritionist, set up appointments, video call your nutritionist, and track your exercise and food intake.
• Our goal is to ensure weight loss and help you maintain the weight loss long term. We work proactively with you to achieve this.
• You will automatically join our community so you can receive regular advice on the latest health topics

Your registered nutritionist will contact you every week to 2 weeks. We make sure you receive the right amount of support for you without interrupting your daily routine.

All our services are delivered remotely by phone, email, secure messaging and video consultations. You will be given details of our Nutrium App to download when you join us.

No – absolutely not.

Our primary aim after helping you achieve your ideal healthy weight is to support you to maintain that weight long term. The relationship you develop with your personal registered nutritionist and our team is critically important and our aim is to maintain that relationship long term. 

Once you reach a healthy weight / BMI we will continue to support you for up to  9 months free of charge to ensure you are able to fully maintain your healthy weight. 

This is a self pay service. We are running pilots in several NHS GP practices and are working in partnership with multiple NHS CCGs to offer this service locally on the NHS.

From our extensive experience delivering this programme we would suggest you will lose up to 1 – 3 kg per week (2 – 6 lbs) depending on your chosen plan. However individual results may vary.

Our products have been specially formulated by our doctors to reduce the risks of side-effects. The most common side effects are constipation and occasional headaches. You must report any side-effects to our clinical team who will support you to resolve them.

All members are advised to drink 2L of water per day. 

Your medical records, including personal information such as name, address, and the content of any communication with your nutritionist will be kept strictly confidential and will not be sold to third parties, nor distributed. Please read more about how we keep your data secure in our Privacy Policy.

We work really hard to ensure you receive the best experience. However we may not always get it right. If you are concerned or want to raise a complaint about any aspect of our service please email: hello@versahealth.co.uk

Please email us at hello@versahealth.co.uk and we will contact you to assist in your cancellation. Please refer to our returns policy.