We are currently receiving a high number of enquiries about weight loss injections such as Wegovy. Unfortunately, some of these interactions have involved unacceptable hostility towards our nursing and administrative staff. We would like to provide some important clarification about the current situation.
GPs Cannot Prescribe Wegovy at This Time
Despite what you may hear in the media or online, GPs are not currently authorised to prescribe weight loss injections on the NHS. Any future changes to this will be communicated directly to us by the Integrated Care Board (ICB), in line with national NHS guidance.
At present, we are still awaiting formal guidance from both the ICB and NHS England. Until this is received and implemented, we are not able to prescribe this medication.
Zero Tolerance for Abuse
We understand that this may be frustrating. However, we have a zero tolerance policy towards abuse of any kind. Our nursing and administrative teams are simply following national NHS guidance and acting in line with the information provided to us. Aggressive or abusive behaviour will not be tolerated under any circumstances.
Managing Expectations
We want to be very clear in managing expectations. It is likely that some social media posts or online articles will suggest that Wegovy is now available on the NHS for everyone. This is NOT the case.
When NHS prescribing becomes available, it will come with very strict medical criteria. Only a small number of patients are expected to be eligible. If, following official guidance, you do not meet the criteria, we cannot and will not prescribe this medication.
If you are unhappy with these national policies, we ask that you direct your concerns to the NHS directly—not to our staff, who do not have the ability to change these rules.
What’s Next?
We will update patients as soon as we receive further guidance from the ICB and NHS England. In the meantime, we continue to support weight management through lifestyle advice, referrals to specialist services, and healthy strategies that do not involve medication.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.