SOUTHEND Liberal Democrats have warned the city’s residents are being “left behind” in accessing a new weight loss drug, despite a government incentive scheme encouraging GPs to prescribe it.
The party says many eligible patients in Southend still face long waits for Mounjaro because the local NHS has yet to roll out full GP level prescribing.
It comes after ministers confirmed a £3,000 bonus for practices that issue the drug.
Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board - which covers Southend - was among the last in England to establish a prescribing pathway and initially restricted access to a single specialist weight management service for the entire region.
While NHS England has instructed local systems to introduce the drug in phases, Southend Liberal Democrats say the delay is deepening existing health inequalities.
The group says Southend has some of the starkest health divides in the country, with a 10.5 year gap in male life expectancy between the most and least affluent areas.
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Obesity is a key contributing factor, yet many residents cannot afford private prescriptions, which cost £160 to £310 a month.
Nationally, around 3.4 million people meet eligibility criteria for Mounjaro, but the NHS plans to treat just 220,000 over three years.
A typical GP practice of 6,000 patients will qualify fewer than 20 people in total, and year one funding is expected to cover only a fraction of that number.
Stephen Cummins, chairman of Southend Liberal Democrats, said the Government was “offering GPs a £3,000 carrot” without providing the capacity required to deliver the treatment locally.
“In Southend, patients have already faced months of delay because our area had only one specialist service covering the region,” he said.
“This is becoming a two-tier system. If you can afford £300 a month, you can get this drug today. If you can’t, you join a queue that could last a decade.”
The party is calling on the Integrated Care Board to publish a clear timetable for expanding prescribing into primary care and for ministers to “ensure funding matches the ambition”.
Responding to the concerns, Dr Matt Sweeting, Executive Medical Director at NHS Mid and South Essex, said the phased rollout was essential to ensure those with the greatest clinical need were prioritised.
“Demand for weight management support is very high,” he said.
“Treatment decisions are made by clinicians based on individual circumstances and national policy.”
Until GP prescribing is introduced, access to Mounjaro in the area will continue through the Tier 3 specialist service via GP referral.
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