Help me get WLI on the NHS

[PetPeevert]

I have reached a point in my weight loss journey where I just can't loose the extra pounds.

I have tried every single diet and healthy eating plan on the market and it just isn't enough.

I'm not looking for suggestions on exercise or diet, I can't afford to join a gym and I'm also time poor with having to work two jobs. All I need from this post is how I can get weight loss injections prescribed by my doctor. I can't afford to buy them privately.

My bmi is 41 and I'm on meds for high blood pressure. I am in South Lanarkshire and called my GP asking if I would qualify for a prescription. I was told to contact the weight loss clinic as they are the people that control and prescribe the injections.

They told me they are not currently accepting referrals and they don't know when they will be able to accept people. They wont even add me to the multi step program to assist me with my weight loss and advised that under no circumstances would they give me the injections. This is despite my bmi and blood pressure issues.

Please can someone tell me what I can do to get professional help that I wont have to pay for as I simply can't afford it. I already work every hour under the sun to try and stay afloat and I am still living pay check to pay check every month.

if you’ve contacted the weight loss people and the gp, then the next step would probably be the complaining route. Find out which body oversee the weight loss programme, and put in a complaint to them, and request to be put in the programme.

I saved more money than I ate for a year on the WLI

only now I’m really healthy am I paying more for better food

Do you think this would work? I'm not sure on the rules around WLI. I had assumed it's more a 'nice to have' rather than a need to have and that's why they rejected me. Do you think they would entertain my complaint?

Sorry for all the questions. I am clueless with all this stuff.

Your bmi is 41 so I presume you’re medically eligible for it (I haven’t checked). I don’t know if it’ll work, but you can try. But you’ll need to have a medical need, rather than ‘cosmetic’.

Yes this ❤️

Currently the criteria for getting Mounjuro on the NHS is BMI over 40 and at least 4 out of 5 specific co-morbidities. If high BP is your only co-morbidity, then you don't currently qualify, so complaining won't get you anywhere.

So realistically, if you can't afford to pay privately, you'll have to accept that WLIs aren't currently an option for you.

Is that the criteria in Scotland too, or just England and Wales? I think it might be different in Scotland and that with OP’s weight and one comorbidity, she does qualify (but I may very well be wrong!).

The issue is the service is massively oversubscribed and so they are being prescribed on a very limited basis. I don’t have the answers I’m afraid but I don’t think
simply complaining will get what you want.

Caveat to add that I’m in England but have family members who are GPs in Scotland so the above is based on previous conversations we’ve had.

I don’t think complaining will get you anywhere with this at this time I’m afraid. The Scottish prescribing criteria are not officially as high as the English ones someone else quoted but in reality access is very very limited.

https://www.nhslanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk/services/weight-management-service/weight-loss-medications/

https://www.rightdecisions.scot.nhs.uk/media/xrdpkevf/tirzepatide-mounjaro-as-an-adjunct-to-lifestyle-measures-in-weight-management.pdf

You have to go via the LWMS and be actively engaged in a ‘behaviour change intervention’ . I do hope that in the next few years GLP1 only (Wegovy) will start to get more and more affordable but I think it will be a long time before Mounjaro does.

I’m sorry to be negative but pursuing NHS, well I genuinely think you are wasting your time - these medications are life changing and it’s not right that only those who can afford them can benefit.

Im currently on the waiting list for the weight loss clinic in nhs lanarkshire but this is just to be assessed they dont give out wli like they do in England. My bmi is the same as yours, I have high blood pressure, im pre diabetic and I was offered 10 weeks free gym membership and free weigh and go, this is all before you get on the referral list. You have to do these before they will even consider you for assessment.

This is not uncommon, depends what you are eating. I spent half my usual food bill, and I wasn't eating takeaways either. Pre price rises to be fair.

Solidarity, it's shit that they're so rationed. Well off people can get them as I did - only just obese, and without comorbidities.

My BMI was 50 and I had high cholesterol and still didn’t qualify on the NHS

Start with determining if you have any other co-morbities that would raise your priority. Ask for blood tests for HbA1C, thyroid, cholesterol, liver and kidney function.

I was prescribed MJ for diabetes as I was taking insulin and metformin and had cut all carbs except green veg but my sugar levels were still high. Diabetes team agreed to try MJ and within 6 weeks I had dropped the insulin completely and was on minimum dose of metformin, had lost a load of weight and sugar levels were in normal range over 98% of the time. I’ve been on MJ ever since and will be prescribed it indefinitely as it keeps my sugar levels in control. I’ve never gone up to full dose and taking this one injection a week has removed the need for twice daily insulin, 4 x daily metformin, weekly diabetes team check-ins to adjust dosage and has reduced my risk of future heart attack, stroke, nerve damage, circulation issues, amputation and blindness. So overall a cost and time saving for the NHS.

Thank you for your advice. They wont even let me join the weight management program as it's so over subscribed.

I would ask in April, they may be unable to accept new patients until the next financial year. If still saying no go back to your gp for advice, it works differently in England

I had some screening done recently as I was very fatigued (probably just because I'm fat) but I wanted to check anyway. The tests picked up very my high blood pressure and they prescribed me ramaprol, sp? They also said I was anemic and gave me 3 months worth of iron pills.

No pre diabetes and no other issues. I just need that extra little helping hand to shift the weight and get me on the right track to maintaining it. Working two jobs has left me no time to focus on diet and exercise, this is why I'm in this position in the first place.

I hate how this is so unaffordable for the average person. No doubt I would also save the NHS money in the long run if I was given the opportunity to help myself.

Im sorry your going through this. Keep persisting with your GP.

Please stop telling OP to go to her GP, they cannot prescribe, advise on WLI or by the sounds of it even refer to the weight loss programme in her area right now. It’s false hope. The links I shared earlier from her local health board and the pp from same area make that quite clear. I’m sorry OP, unless you can find a way to go private which I know you’ve said isn’t feasible then it’s not going to happen via NHS at least not for years.

Please stop telling OP to go to her GP, they cannot prescribe, advise on WLI or by the sounds of it even refer to the weight loss programme in her area right now. It’s false hope. The links I shared earlier from her local health board and the pp from same area make that quite clear. I’m sorry OP, unless you can find a way to go private which I know you’ve said isn’t feasible then it’s not going to happen via NHS at least not for years.

I’m sorry you don’t qualify to get them on the NHs at the moment. You have been correctly advised so please don’t make a complaint or ask the GP again as this will not help. You will either need to wait for the NHS indications to expand which eventually they will or save up and pay privately even if this is very hard to do. The only other thing I can think of is keeping an eye out to see if there are any drug trials in this area that you can join eg register on here https://bepartofresearch.nihr.ac.uk/join

OP, you should eat well and exercise on WLI so take this time to work out how you will do this, being so time poor. The jabs won't do the work for you. The NHS website used to have a healthy eating plan that could be followed on their website, and exercise sugestions you could do at home.
I pay privately for WLI but appreciate not everyone can. But you need to either stay on the jabs forever or be prepared to majorly overhaul your lifestyle to try and maintain weightloss.

There are some U.K. studies recruiting. Maybe there is one in your area?
https://bepartofresearch.nihr.ac.uk/trial-details/trial-detail?trialId=59125&location=&distance=

You don't qualify as you need 4 comorbidities and you have 1

Is that for NHS Scotland too? Or are you only talking about NHS England?

The issue isn’t the qualification - it’s the huge demand and very limited availability. It’s only prescribed in exceptional circumstances.

How many calories a day are you currently eating so you think, and how much is your food shop (inc any takeaways etc)?
If your daily calories are cut to circa 1200 by being on mounjaro, would you save enough to offset a good chunk of the cost and would this be enough of an edge to make this affordable for you?

You could maybe start another thread on the Weight loss injections board asking people what balanced meals they ate on a budget whilst on mounjaro?

I’m sorry they are not available on the nhs op, the prescribing criteria means you dint qualify and they have a capped budget.

people shouldn’t be telling you to complain or keep going back to your gp, it won’t change that you are not eligible and the wait lists closed.