Boots weight loss programme rolled out
A weight loss programme that includes access to orlistat (Xenical) via
a private patient group direction is being rolled out across 100 Boots
The Chemists pharmacies.
The private PGD takes advantage of a recent change in the law that allows
registered bodies to issue PGDs for the private supply of prescription-only
medicines outside the scope of the NHS. Boots is the first pharmacy to
be registered as an independent medical agency by the Healthcare Commission.
The scheme was successfully piloted in three pharmacies in Manchester,
where an average weight loss of 10.6 per cent in six months was achieved.
The weight loss programme is open to adults with a body mass index of
30 or more, or 28 or more plus other risk factors such as type 2 diabetes
or high blood pressure. In an intial 45-minute consultation, pharmacists
will measure BMI, blood pressure and blood glucose to check patients’ eligibility
for the programme. Consultations will include advice on healthy eating
and increasing daily activity as well as free access to a support website
and helpline. GPs will be informed if their patients are taking part
in the programme and patients will be refered to them if necessary. Customers
will pay about £10 per week to join the programme.
Boots pharmacist Sally Ousbey commented: “Our trial in Manchester
was really successful — over 400 patients joined the scheme and,
of those people who were eligible for the scheme, only 3 per cent did
not continue into the programme. We also referred 53 per cent of the
people who were eligible for the programme to their GPs who were found
to have high blood pressure or [raised] glucose levels, therefore highlighting
people who could need more help.” |
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