Treat access to weight loss jabs like flu vaccinations, CCA suggests

Access to weight loss jabs could be determined by the cost benefit, similar to the flu vaccination programme, the Company Chemists’ Association (CCA) has said.

In its response to the Health and Social Care Committee’s (HSCC) inquiry on food and weight management, published on 19 November, the CCA said that current guidance and access to weight management medications was ‘inconsistent, resulting in a postcode lottery’.

It said: ‘Where there is the greatest return on taxpayer money, community pharmacy can offer the required access and capacity.

‘For others private access remains a viable option, offering benefits to the population as a whole. Some people may choose the convenience of private healthcare even if eligible for NHS care, freeing up further NHS capacity.’

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The CCA added that community pharmacy was the ‘ideal location for expanded NHS-funded weight loss services,’.

This is because community pharmacy is the most accessible part of the NHS, offering greater access to those in deprived communities, it added. And many community pharmacies are already providing access to weight loss services privately.

The response said it was estimated that 95% of patients using GLP-1s currently access them privately, and that a health inequality gap was developing with the NHS rollout ‘remaining slow and economically deprived communities experiencing higher obesity rates’.

The CCA urged policymakers to implement five tangible changes to ensure wider access to weight loss treatments.

• Commission NHS pathways through community pharmacy;
• Clear national frameworks (clinical and prescribing);
• Wraparound and multidisciplinary support for patients;
• Broadening initiation in community pharmacy;
• Digital connectivity to patient records.

‘With relatively little preparation, building on a history of success and experience from private services, community pharmacy can quickly implement a new national service,’ the CCA said.

This new national service would run alongside current private services to ensure the ‘broadest possible access’ – especially for those unwilling or unable to access treatment privately.

‘Alongside wider access to weight management medications, community pharmacy should be commissioned to provide wraparound support including social prescribing,’ the CCA also stressed in its written evidence.

This could include social prescribing and referrals to other professionals including dietitians, mental health professionals, and sports coaches as part of the new neighbourhood care model.

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The CCA concluded: ‘Existing provision for weight loss medicines is limited, and the NHS’s current rollout plans are unlikely to materially reduce obesity rates over the next 12 years.’

In September, the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) also said NHS-commissioned weight loss jabs should be made available through community pharmacies, given that many pharmacies are already providing the service privately.

It is estimated that more than 1.5 million people in the UK are now taking weight loss drugs and pharmacists play a key role in supporting them – not only by prescribing weight loss injections but also advising on their safe disposal.

The HSCC also published DHSC’s response to the inquiry, which addressed the question of equitable access to weight management services.

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In its submission, the DHSC said there would ‘always be some variation in access where there are locally commissioned weight management services as local authorities and ICBs will adopt differing strategies and may need to commission services to meet the differing needs of their local populations’.

It added: ‘NHS England is providing support and regular engagement with NHS ICBs to learn from where implementation has been successfully implemented into the weight management pathway, has set up forums to share these successes and support ICBs where access to tirzepatide (Mounjaro ®) is limited, to help develop locally adapted pathways.’