Pharmacy owners have been urged to contact local pharmaceutical committees (LPCs) with ideas for pharmacy-led NHS weight loss services, as part of a new pilot scheme.
The government last week announced a pilot ‘Obesity Pathway Innovation Programme’ (OPIP) to be delivered by Innovate UK in partnership with the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and Eli Lilly.
Integrated care boards (ICBs) and other healthcare stakeholders can apply for a share of up to £85m to try out ‘innovative models of care’ for people living with obesity, which may include community pharmacy services.
Related Article: First-line SGLT-2 prescribing proposed for type 2 diabetes in new draft guideline
In a briefing webinar today, Innovate UK advised pharmacies wanting to participate in the pilot to contact their LPC.
Community Pharmacy England (CPE) said LPCs will be exploring opportunities for involvement with ICBs and discussing potential collaborations on behalf of pharmacy owners, many of whom already have extensive experience of providing weight management services.
Bids are open for submission from 8 September and close on 19 November 2025.
Ian McKay, deputy challenge director at Innovate UK, said: ‘We want to fund a range of different delivery models, and that could be pharmacy-led services.’
However, pharmacies would have to meet certain criteria if they wanted to participate, he said, adding that: ‘The general practice records for patients receiving care through these pathways will need to be updated to reflect the treatments they are receiving, so the pharmacy [will need] to be able to make the relevant updates in the NHS records.’
Related Article: ADHD meds lower risk of suicide, substance abuse and criminality, research finds
He referred pharmacy owners to their LPC’s for more information about getting involved.
Myra Battle, service support officer for Norfolk and Suffolk LPC, said they were currently in early discussion with ICBs and would communicate with contractors when possible.
She added that Norfolk and Suffolk LPC remained ‘very approachable’ should contractors have questions and invited owners to contact them directly.
The OPIP supports the NHS 10-year plan’s ambition to test innovative weight loss service delivery models.
Related Article: Menopause care in practice
Announcing the initiative last week, health secretary Wes Streeting said: ‘Obesity is one of the leading causes of ill health, costing the NHS billions.
‘As we shift our focus from treatment to prevention within our 10 Year Health Plan we are also determined to bring revolutionary modern care to everyone that needs it, not just those who can afford to pay.’
Keep your clinical knowledge up to date with The Pharmacist
Extend your learning and record your learning outcomes
Have your say
Please add your comment in the box below. You can include links, but HTML is not permitted. Please note that comments are not moderated before publication and the views expressed are those of the user and do not reflect the views of The Pharmacist. Remember that submission of comments is governed by our Terms and Conditions. You can also read our full guidelines on article comments here – but please be aware that you are legally liable for any libellous or offensive comments that you make. If you have a complaint about a comment or are concerned that a comment breaches our terms and conditions, please use the ‘Report this comment’ function to alert our web team.