Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help reduce waiting times for patients eligible for NHS-prescribed weight loss medications.

The medicines liraglutide, under various brand names, semaglutide, brand name Wegovy, and tirzepatide, brand name Mounjaro, are already being made available for managing obesity for some patients attending National Health Service specialist weight management services, depending on factors like local pathways and clinical eligibility.

From 23 June, the newest obesity medicine, tirzepatide, started to become available in primary care, meaning it can be prescribed by general practitioners, or other competent prescribers. Approximately 220,000 people could receive tirzepatide over the first three years of NHS rollout. Access will be prioritised based on clinical need.

To support equitable access across the NHS in England and to help integrated care boards (ICBs) to fulfil their duty to make the medication tirzepatide available to eligible patients for treating obesity, NHS England has provided funding to ICBs, based on each area’s estimated population of people living with obesity. It has also provided guidance to ICBs and is continuing to work with them to implement the phased rollout of tirzepatide, as well as other weight loss medications where appropriate.

The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence will review progress at three years. Rollout will be sped up if possible, and the NHS is developing and testing new models of care to support this.

As we set out in our 10-Year Health Plan, we are committed to expanding access to weight loss medications through the NHS to ensure that people are able to access them based on clinical need, rather than ability to pay. We will build on the current plans by establishing pioneering relationships with industry and local health systems to test further innovative models of delivering weight loss services and treatments to patients effectively and safely. Additionally, we will explore a range of innovative commercial models that aim to increase patient access, whilst ensuring improved health outcomes and value for money.