GPs get £3,000 bonus to maximise weight loss drug prescriptions

NHS England will pay a one-off £3,000 incentive under the GP contract to practices that prescribe the maximum number of eligible patients the weight‑loss drug Mounjaro; current access is limited to people with a BMI over 40 plus certain health conditions and will be widened to BMI over 35 next year.

General practices will receive a one-off payment of £3,000 under the GP contract for prescribing the maximum number of eligible patients the weight‑loss drug Mounjaro. Incentive payments are a routine part of the GP contract and have been used for other priorities in the past. Mounjaro began to be prescribed by GPs this financial year and NHS access is currently limited. Plans reported by NHS England would widen eligibility next year and aim to expand the programme through 2028. Key facts: - The incentive is part of the GP contract and offers £3,000 for practices that meet the maximum eligible prescribing for Mounjaro. - Mounjaro prescribing by GPs started in the current financial year and initial NHS access is for people with a BMI over 40 plus specified health conditions. - Eligibility is due to widen next year to people with a BMI over 35, and NHS projections anticipate around 220,000 patients on Mounjaro by 2028. - Rollout has been described as patchy so far, with not all GPs prescribing the drugs as much as expected. - Stakeholders expressed mixed views: the Obesity Health Alliance called the payment a welcome step while stressing limited NHS access and the need for ongoing support; the British Medical Association noted eligibility rules will not change immediately and said the measures will not resolve the gap between publicly funded access and private self-funded treatment; the Royal College of GPs cautioned that wider roll‑out could increase workload and that clinical judgement should guide prescribing. Summary: The payment is intended to encourage practices to prescribe Mounjaro to eligible patients, but access under NHS rules remains limited and rollout has varied across practices. The next formal change is the planned widening of eligibility to people with a BMI over 35 next year, with further expansion tracked toward the 2028 expectation.