NHS letting GPs give out Mounjaro - glad I'm not a doctor's receptionist today

[winterwonder1]

It's bad enough trying to get a GP appointment here on a normal Monday - I bet the phonelines went into meltdown at 8am this morning

NHS Mounjaro mass rollout of weight loss jabs begins today | Bradford Telegraph and Argus

There will be quite a lot of people with four conditions with a BMI above 40

across the country, sure, but few individual GP practices will have 100s.

I don't personally know a single person who would meet the criteria - although MIL is probably close. That's not to say there aren't plenty around here, but the point is that it's spread out quite a lot.

I'd be more nervous if I was the local pharmacy - our big Boots in town for example probably has a large percentage of the market for prescriptions from multiple surgeries... they must be feeling stressed about being able to meet prescription demand.

It’s a very small group of people who will qualify. Even the qualifying criteria are extremely tight for next year and the year after as the rollout continues.

Very much depends.

We're not able to prescribe for weight loss in practice- they still have to go via WMC- contractual agreement. Nothing has changed for us from today....

We do not have the time or the staff to implement Mounjaro in general practice appointments.

People will think this is a magic potion, it isn't. I've been on it for 8 months and lost 5 stone and its been bloody hard work. I buy mine, I don't qualify for NHS.

I think there’s a real need for a maintenance protocol.

Definitely.

@Paganpentacle well yes, what is supposed to have been developed and implemented isn’t going to actually happen I’m quite sure.

Why would they not have access to maintenance doses.

I have have just checked my bmi as I thought it was near 40. It's not! Bmi of 40 would put you twice your lowest healthy bmi. Why does this surprise me? My maths is so bad.

Sorry, not sure I made that clear - was trying to say that if you have a BMI over 40 you’re more likely to be at risk of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and obstructive sleep apnoea.

Just to clarify, this isn’t quite right in all areas.

It’s true that from 23 June, NHS guidance allows GPs to start prescribing Mounjaro (tirzepatide) for people with a BMI over 40 and four weight-related health conditions. But local rollout depends on each ICB (Integrated Care Board) being ready and not all are.

For example, in Derbyshire where I work, the ICB has said GPs won’t be prescribing it just yet. They’re setting up community-based clinics first, and until that’s done, the rollout is on pause. Other areas like North West London, South Yorkshire, Hertfordshire and West Essex, and the Black Country have taken a similar approach, asking GPs to hold off until proper systems are in place.

So while the national policy has shifted, in practice it still depends on where you live. Hopefully more regions will go live soon, but for now it’s definitely a postcode lottery.

Derbyshire

Yes, apologies for being imprecise. I should have said that this was the deadline for this to happen, but in reality most areas are not ready and practically nothing will be happening for those areas now or in the near future. Which makes the headlines about a “mass rollout” starting today even more inaccurate.

I sympathise but am also shocked that a doctor would say this - if someone already has a BMI over 40 and at least 4 serious health conditions, they are at high risk, tbf, of death, and hopefully, already being seen by you pretty frequently. How long would it take to deal with the prescribing of MJ in an appt, with input from a practice nurse perhaps to help with the injecting side of things? 1.5 million people are managing the process perfectly well, with a few outliers obviously, via a private, on-line consultation currently after all. It sounds like you're saying, effectively, that although there may be a more effective treatment for a very unwell patient, you don't explore it because you don't have time?

I find it equally shocking that the implementation can be totally blocked in some areas because of an existing contract with a private company (??) for weight management services. Presumably no changes can be made to the NHS services offered until that contract expires. Perhaps meaning a wait of several years depending on the contract I suppose.

I think it’s great news and hopefully over the next few years more people will be able to get it, and see a big improvement in their health

@SilenceInside
Yes indeed. What a tragic situation.

Yes headline is totally misleading and the reality is what we already know

I have been on it 7 months and it absolutely is a magic potion imo. 30 years of trying and I have never successfully lost weight until now. I have lost weight before and i have fought hard every waking minute to do so. I have never been able to reach a healthy weight let alone maintain one. MJ has made this absolutely achievable for me. It’s also helped my inflammation, blood pressure, anxiety and focus. Anything that gets me eating 3 healthy meals a day, losing weight consistently and managing to do so without giving it a second thought is pure magic.

I dont know about this - have some health authorities outsourced it?

Absolutely, I think many health conditions are made worse by obesity - both physical and mental ones.

Weight loss help
As you may be aware there has been a lot of coverage of weight loss injections in the press today. At this moment in time this applies to England only and the medication is only prescribable by GP’s to a small number of people with multiple weight related conditions.
At this moment in time there is no plans for this to also be brought to Wales. Currently GP’s in Wales are unable to prescribe this medication for weight loss. We are however able to provide support in weight loss in other ways such as excerise referral schemes. You can also self refer to weight loss programs via : https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/Y0IHM1/

The message from our surgery this morning on FB.

I pay for mine, even at my heaviest I wouldn't have qualified as I was lucky enough not to have any obesity related illnesses. And my BMI is now under 30 so I'll never qualify on the NHS. But I think this is a good thing and I hope it helps some of those people who are most in need of it but would otherwise not be able to afford it.
Ultimately, I think it will be more widely available. It will help reduce obesity related disease and probably pay for itself over time by reducing the strain on NHS resources. Personally, I'd like to see it rolled out more quickly. But it's a start.

Patients being prescribed through the NHS, will also have to participate in diet and exercise education to maintain eligibility for their prescription. I believe this is what the holdup is in many ICBs - because this involves a bit more than a prescription.