GPs in England will soon get bonuses of up to £3,000 for prescribing weight-loss drugs to patients. This is part of changes to the GP contract starting in April.
Here are the details:
* Doctors will get a £1,000 a year for referring patients to approved weight-loss programmes.
* The government wants to make sure people who need weight-loss support can get it.
However some experts think this plan might not work well. They say that getting weight-loss drugs on the NHS is still very hard. The new bonuses do not help many people get treatment.
These bonuses will only apply to one weight-loss injection called Mounjaro. There is another drug called Wegovy. It is prescribed by specialists, not GPs.
Most Weight-Loss Injection Users Pay Privately
Many people in the UK are using weight-loss injections. Most pay for them privately. The Health Secretary, Wes Streeting thinks these drugs can really help people who need them. He wants to make sure access is based on need not on how much money you have.
Wes Streeting also worries about providers selling unsafe medicines. He thinks investing in GP practices will help more people get these medicines.
GP contracts often include incentive payments. They have been used to improve areas like dementia care and vaccination rates. This is the time weight-loss drugs are included.
Now Mounjaro is only available on the NHS to people who are very over weigth. From year more people will be eligible. By 2028 around 220,000 patients might be getting the drug.
Some people are concerned that not all GP practices are prescribing Mounjaro as expected.
Katharine Jenner from the Obesity Health Alliance thinks the bonuses are a start. However she says they will not make weight-loss drugs widely available. She wants action to prevent obesity.
Dr Katie Bramall from the British Medical Association thinks the changes will not help people. She says they will not reduce the gap between those who can afford treatment and those who cannot.
Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown from the Royal College of GPs warns that doctors do not prescribe treatments for the money. She thinks expanding access, through GP surgeries could increase workloads and raise expectations.
