Tier 3 weight management... how long?

[RockOutcrop]

Been referred by GP for tier 3 weight management which consists of counselling, physio and can give weight loss injections. I have blood test this week and then they will send referral off.

For anyone else on this path, hope long did you have to wait to see weight loss clinic after being referred?

Bump

Did your gp not tell you the wait time, it will differ by region, I think the average is 8 months wait, I would call your surgery and ask.

i think once you get there, you them need to do a one year program where they work with you on your weight, for some it is 2 years, then they will consider the injections.

obvs it’s been all over the news about how there is limited funding for the injections, and only a small percentage of those eligible getting them each year as they role out, and also obviously a lot of people already completed the programs who are first in the queue.

So I’d consider 2 -3 years wait for injections, if that’s your aim.

Crikey. I think I may have to look into buying them.

He just said he didn't think the wait was very long.

BMI is 46 I really would like to try them asap

I agree I think it depends what area you are in. One of my friends was referred but told there was a 2 year wait, then she would have to do the 1 year programme and even then they couldn't guarantee she would be offered the injections due to funding. She's ended up buying them from an online pharmacy instead as she didn't want to wait that long

I was referred for that too at bmi of 44 at the time. I didn't hear anything for about 8 months but I did make immediate changes to my diet as soon as they made the referral as it was the kick up the arse I needed to realise it's up to me to take responsibility for my health. It did take having a very cold hard look at the reality of my day to day life. I have a severe chronic health condition and a very stressful life as well as mum to ASN children, running a business and caring for elderly parents. I hadn't realised how little I was looking after myself the previous 5-10 years because of how much I was looking after everything else.
By the time the weight management team called me I'd lost 4.5 stone and still losing so I no longer needed the intervention. I'm now very nearly 7 stone down and so much healthier overall, shocked I reached the point of needing that referral and now determined to look after my body properly. For context I was almost 18 stone and I'm a short woman so the effects of that weight on my heart didn't bear thinking about. I consider myself very lucky that my heart is ok.

TLDR: you may wait 8 months or more depending on area but you don't have to wait for that call before shifting the weight. You just have to be very strict and serious with yourself to begin with (and I am well aware of how difficult it feels at the start, I myself used every excuse under the sun for a very long time but the person it was endangering was me.)

Just call the surgery and ask to get this info.

you need two things,

first how long is wait in your area after refferal
second is what happens when accepted.

or where is the clinic so you can call them.

as said, it really isn’t they accept you and just dole out the drugs. I think they are saying 300k people a year will get them across the whole of the uk, and those are folks already through the program and with serious health issues. That’s from the millions eligible.

doctors only refer, they are not allowed to prescribe, so many won’t know much about the tier 3 clinic. If you can find out where it is, often a hospital you can call them and ask. That’s the other way.

you need to go through the program, with the regular visits, weighing you, discussing your diet etc, and when it’s complete, depending on what one they put you on, they may prescribe the meds, but for most folks it is still bariatric surgery though that is offered and will be for many years.

mounjaro wont be offered at all until the summer, and that will be to the small minority within the nhs budget of 300 k folks, and they will be people already been through the clinic for years.

Well done. 😍

Also and the reason I’m engaging op is a family member has been referred, and she was sadly under the impression she would very quickly get accepted and then they will just give her the drugs, she now knows this is far from the case, and it is likely to be close to 3 years and even then it is unlikely she will be offered them, as there are so many before her in the queue, and she has major health issues due to her weight. But so do those before her.

it is shit that doctors don’t make it clear, and of course they are now referring millions of people to tier 3 as people want the drugs, making the whole thing so much worse and increasing the wait list.

Thank you, yes GP made it sound like they would give the medication alongside the other aspects but I can see now this isn't the case. Best get saving!!

@Shrinkingrose thank you. And I hope your family member is doing ok too. I really do know how hard it is and my heart goes out to anyone struggling with weight, it takes a lot of determination to break the cycle but we only get one body

It is shit, there was even a panorama program on it the other night, the nhs just doesn’t have the money, and of course the clinics don’t have the capacity to take millions of folks , not even thousands more. The government need as many people as possible to pay privately , so they take the pressure off the nhs and free up resources as they get healthier and use less resources.

there are new drugs coming out, and a pill looking to be approved in 26, although my doctor said yesterday she’s seen the results for it, and she’s not convinced it’s that effective, it’s more like rybelus or whatever it was called. But wegovy comes off trademark in i think 26, so unbranded will make an appearance. The cost will come down as they all compete for space.

so I think over the next 3 - 5 years it will change, but right now, there is not enough money or capacity to deal with the demand and need. So it’s private for anyone who can afford it, or go without if you can’t.

Three years in my area, and not clear if they could offer injections when you get to the top of the queue. I am on the waiting list but paying for Mounjaro myself as I think I can’t afford to wait that long, I hope to have lost a significant amount of weight before I even get an appointment.

I have bought a pen myself, first dose today fingers crossed

Good luck @RockOutcrop

Well done op, join the Jan starters thread when you get it. You will find lots of support.