Access to tirzepatide (Mounjaro) through primary care

Although it has been announced that Tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) will become available in primary care settings from Monday, 23 June (for a specific patient cohort). 

Currently, the support service required in the NICE guidelines is not yet available in Kent and Medway, so GP practices are not able to prescribe Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) at this time.

Please note there is no provider of tirzepatide (Mounjaro) available under right to choose. 

NICE guidelines say that in order to gain access to tirzepatide (Mounjaro) on the NHS, patients must also be referred on to a diet and exercise support programme. Arrangements are being made to mobilise a provider of the necessary Behavioural support for Obesity Prescribing (BSOP) that is specified in the NICE guidelines. Until this service is in place in Kent and Medway, it is not possible to prescribe tirzepatide (Mounjaro) in primary care.

You can find more information on the Kent and Medway ICS website

Access to semaglutide (Wegovy) through primary care

General practice or hospital services will not be able to prescribe this medication to you for obesity until local arrangements are in place.

Locally, Wegovy will only be supplied through specialist services. This is to make sure that correct support such as diet and nutritional services are available alongside the medication.

Your GP practice will not be able to prescribe this medication to you until local arrangements are in place.

NHS Kent and Medway has eligibility criteria in place for accessing semaglutide (Wegovy)

To be able to access semaglutide (Wegovy), people in Kent and Medway must have a body mass index (BMI) of 40 (BMI to be adjusted for ethnicity*) or more and at least four of the five health conditions listed:

• type 2 diabetes mellitus
• high blood pressure (hypertension)
• heart disease (cardiovascular disease)
• obstructive sleep apnoea
• abnormal blood fats (dyslipidaemia)

*Due to an increased risk of heath conditions at lower BMI thresholds in these populations, the BMI applied to assess eligibility for semaglutide (Wegovy) must be adjusted by 2.5 kg/m2 in people from South Asian, Chinese, other Asian, Middle Eastern, Black African or African-Caribbean ethnic backgrounds to ensure equitable clinical prioritisation and access to appropriate treatment

Referral pathway:

• Patients must have completed weight management interventions prior to referral.
• To access semaglutide (Wegovy), referrals must be made to a specialist weight management service.
• Oviva is currently the only specialist weight management service able to prescribe semaglutide (Wegovy) to people living in Kent and Medway under the right to choose: If you are eligible, your GP can refer you to Oviva.

You can find more information on the Kent and Medway ICS website

 

Published: Jun 24, 2025