Mounjaro pilot to bypass GP appointments in parts of UK
Patients in 12 areas of the UK will have easier access to weight-loss medication in a new obesity pilot funded by the Government and the manufacturer of tirzepatide (Mounjaro).
The £85m Obesity Pathway Innovation Programme (OPIP) aims ‘to simplify access to a range of weight-loss interventions’ including medication and AI-assisted health checks at home, the Government has announced.
Pharmaceutical company Lilly UK (Eli Lilly and Company), which produces the weight-loss jab tirzepatide (Mounjaro), will provide up to £35m of grant funding for the programme.
The programme will fund 12 local projects in ‘underserved communities’ in the UK until March 2029, some of which will give patients access to advice ‘without a GP or clinic appointment’.
The projects will be led by ICBs or health boards, which will work with partners such as the British Heart Foundation or Obesity UK.
At least four of the pilots will provide local patients with ‘easier access’ to weight management medication, according to the announcement: in Northern Ireland; Midlothian; Birmingham, Solihull and the Black Country; and Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
For example, in Northern Ireland people will bypass the need for GP appointments by accessing a ‘neighbourhood-based service’.
The Government said: ‘In Northern Ireland, a neighbourhood-based service will offer multiple routes into support, including people being able to refer themselves, stopping delays waiting for a GP appointment.
‘Personalised goals will be agreed between clinicians and patients, with apps giving nutrition or exercise advice, and easier access to weight management medication where clinically appropriate.’
Meanwhile, in Kent up to 3,300 families ‘will get round-the-clock AI powered advice on healthy eating, activity, sleep and stress, straight to their phone via WhatsApp’ from pregnancy through to a child’s early years, it added.
‘That means a parent worried about feeding their toddler in the middle of the night, or unsure where to turn for help, can get the right answer instantly – typing their questions into WhatsApp for an immediate response. This will mean people can get the advice they need without a GP or clinic appointment.’
The phased rollout of tirzepatide began last year following an agreement between the UK Government and Lilly, and NICE recommendations gave GPs the ability to prescribe the drug.
Health secretary James Murray said: ‘Obesity is an epidemic and we need bold action to end it now. These innovative projects will bring together the NHS, local partners and industry to test new ways of delivering obesity care that uses the latest technology and is closer to people’s homes.
‘What we learn from these projects has the potential to help people across the country live healthier lives, underlining this government’s commitment to deliver the 10-Year Health Plan and shift healthcare from treatment to prevention and reduce long-term pressure on vital NHS services.’
NHS England guidance from last year, when the rollout began, said that ICBs must meet the costs of funding access to the weight-loss injections in primary care settings, as per the NICE recommendation – but GPs have raised concerns that ICBs have been slow to set up prescribing pathways.
Following the rollout, a Pulse survey in September found around one in 25 GP consultations now relate to Mounjaro, which was highlighted by witnesses advising MPs on how weight-loss jabs should be provided through the NHS.
And MPs recently heard evidence collected by Pulse that weight-loss jabs are significantly adding to GP workload in a hearing of the Health and Social Care Committee on food and weight management.
GP leaders have recently warned that practices across England are being ‘pressured’ into prescribing and monitoring tirzepatide without locally commissioned services funding.
Latest NHS data showed obesity levels have risen since the Covid-19 pandemic, especially among younger adults.
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