Dear Patients,
We are receiving a number of enquiries regarding weight loss medication. Many of our patients have seen the report in the media that the Government has launched a new GP pilot scheme to make these medicines more available.
We have not yet been given details of how the pilot will operate. It is unclear whether all practices can apply, or just those fitting select criteria. Almost certainly there will be extra training that our staff will need to undertake, and it is not clear whether this training is readily available or whether it is still being developed by NHS England. We therefore anticipate that it might be months before the service is up and running in General Practice.
At present, the only other way to access the medication through the NHS is via specialist weight loss services. NHS Sheffield assures us they are working with providers to set this up. The medicines have to be prescribed in conjunction with increased exercise and advice re calorie-reduced diets, and only certain patients qualify. Further information including who would qualify for treatment is available in the NICE guidelines available below:
We have set up a waiting list for patients who have shown interest in the medication, and we will contact patients on the list when we have more details. If you are registered with us and would like adding to the list please let us know by contacting Reception or by filling out the Ask Reception a Question form.
Please rest assured that we are keeping a close eye on the situation however it is evolving fairly rapidly so if you feel you have further information that we may have missed, please let us know.