Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy that weight loss injections can only be prescribed following a face-to-face meeting with a GP who can determine that the patient (a) does not have too low a BMI and (b) signs of an eating disorder.

The Department is considering how the current prescribing system operates in relation to patient access to medicines through private, or non-National Health Service, routes. This includes online prescribing. A call for evidence was launched in August 2025 seeking feedback from individuals and organisations to ensure that the current systems remain fit for purpose.

The General Pharmaceutical Council’s (GPhC) updated guidance states that prescribers are expected to verify the information given to them by the patient to ensure that any medicines prescribed are appropriate. This could be through a video consultation, using a patient’s clinical record, or contacting the patient’s general practitioner. This helps to safeguard vulnerable patients.

If anyone has concerns about prescribing decisions or believes a medicine has been prescribed inappropriately, they can raise concerns with the prescriber’s professional regulator, for instance the General Medical Council or GPhC, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.gmc-uk.org/concerns/supporting-you-with-your-concern

In addition to the duty of the prescriber, patients themselves must be honest when providing information to an online prescriber so that they receive advice and medicines which are appropriate for them, so that risks can be managed.