Pharmacy leader calls for more support to deliver weight loss treatments

The government ‘should be doing more’ to support pharmacies to deliver weight loss treatments rather than channelling additional cash into general practice, an industry leader has said.

Dr Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the Independent Pharmacies Association (IPA), said community pharmacies were the front door to the NHS and should be at the forefront of providing weight loss treatments

Her comments came in response to the new GP contract for 2026/27, which will offer GP practices incentives for identifying and supporting adults living with obesity, backed with £25 million of financial incentives.

Dr Hannbeck added: ‘Pharmacists are already supplying these medicines in a safe and dependable way, with the clinical expertise and safeguards in place to support patients properly.

‘The government should be doing more to support pharmacies to deliver weight loss treatments, rather than directing additional funding towards GP incentives.

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‘Making better use of community pharmacy would help reduce unnecessary pressure on GP surgeries and the wider NHS, while ensuring patients can access treatment quickly and safely in their local community.’

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) said it was  ‘disappointing’ to see a formal contract offer announced for GPs before contract negotiations for community pharmacists had begun.

Its chief executive, Henry Gregg, added: ‘With just 37 days to go to the start of April and the new financial year, the clock is ticking. Pharmacies are still left in the dark as to how they will meet looming cost increases being imposed on them.

‘As equal members of the primary care family, they need certainty so they can plan and invest for the year ahead to deliver vital services for their patients.’

In a briefing published on its website, the NHS Confederation said that collaboration between community pharmacists and GPs would be essential to delivering a joined-up neighbourhood health system.

The GP contract’s mandate for improved communication with the sector ‘does not go far enough’, the membership organisation added.

It said: ‘Pharmacy First is critical tool in integrating access to care, but it relies on general practice ‘gatekeeping’ and risks increasing administrative friction.

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‘Future contracts should build on the communication and patient choice built into this contract and streamline patient pathways between providers.’

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) said that delivering the ambitions of the government’s 10 Year Health Plan will depend on making the most of the whole of the NHS workforce.

RPS director for England, Amandeep Doll, said: ‘praised the work of practice pharmacists who offer medicines expertise, free up GP appointments and support patients with long-term conditions.

It is ‘vital’ that pharmacists recruited through the additional roles reimbursement scheme (ARRS) remain part of multidisciplinary teams, she added.

Ms Doll said that any new approaches to tackling obesity and boosting prevention ‘must include pharmacy and be backed by sustainable investment’.

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GPs have been allowed to prescribe tirzepatide for the treatment of obesity through the NHS since 23 June 2025, but community pharmacies are not able to provide this despite many of them already delivering private weight management services.

Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has recently said it ‘stands ready to begin negotiations’ as soon as ministers issue the opening letter.

‘The pressures on community pharmacies are critical, and the sector simply cannot bear more time without meaningful investment and reform,’ said CPE chief executive Janet Morrison.