Prime Highlights:
- The government will offer GPs up to £3,000 annually to prescribe Mounjaro, aiming to improve patient access to effective weight-loss treatment.
- The initiative is designed to strengthen preventive healthcare and ensure treatment access is based on medical need within NHS England.
Key Facts:
- GPs can earn an additional £1,000 per year for referring patients to approved weight-loss programmes alongside prescriptions.
- Eligibility for Mounjaro is currently limited to patients with a BMI over 40 and certain conditions, with plans to expand access to more patients in the coming years.
Background:
General practitioners in England will receive annual bonuses of up to £3,000 for prescribing the weight-loss drug Mounjaro, under changes to the GP contract starting in April. The government said the move aims to improve access to treatment for patients who meet strict clinical criteria and to shift the NHS’s focus toward prevention.
Under the updated contract, GPs can also earn around £1,000 a year for referring eligible patients to approved weight-loss programmes. Ministers said the payments are designed to ensure patients who could benefit from medical support are identified and treated through the NHS rather than turning to private providers.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting described weight-loss injections as a “game changer” and said access should depend on medical need, not personal income. He added that expanding prescribing in general practice would help reduce the risks posed by unlicensed private providers and support the wider prevention agenda within NHS England.
The incentive applies only to Mounjaro. Another weight-loss injection, Wegovy, remains available through specialist NHS services rather than GP surgeries. More than one million people are estimated to be using weight-loss injections in the UK, with most paying privately.
Currently, GPs can prescribe Mounjaro only to patients with a body mass index (BMI) over 40 who also have certain health conditions. From next year, eligibility will expand to those with a BMI over 35. By 2028, officials expect about 220,000 patients to receive the drug through the NHS. Thresholds are lower for some ethnic groups.
However, health leaders cautioned that access will remain limited. The Obesity Health Alliance said the incentives are welcome but will not widen eligibility. The British Medical Association warned that the policy does not change national criteria. The Royal College of GPs also stressed that doctors prescribe based on clinical judgment, not financial rewards, and raised concerns about rising workload and patient expectations.
