FOI 2025/1407

I would like to request the following information under the Freedom of Information Act.
1. Please tell me how many patients within the ICB are currently taking Wegovy (semaglutide) for weight loss or weight management?
2. If possible, please provide figures for the average current waiting time currently for patients to start taking Wegovy from referral from their GP.
3. Please tell me how many patients within the ICB are currently taking Mounjaro (tirzepatide) for weight loss or weight management?
4. If possible, please provide figures for the average current waiting time for patients to start taking Mounjaro from referral from their GP.
5. Please provide details of your current referral thresholds for patients to be prescribed Wegovy.
6. Please provide details of your current referral thresholds for patients to be prescribed Mounjaro

1. There are currently 230 patients in Greater Manchester taking Wegovy for weight loss.

NHS GM has published a commissioning statement for GLP-1 receptor agonists in weight management, which sets out the eligibility criteria, prescribing requirements, and governance arrangements.

A phased implementation has been formally approved by NHS GM and is being put in place across GM to ensure prescribing is carried out in a controlled and equitable way, targeted to those patients with the highest clinical risk in the first instance.

Eligibility is strictly controlled and limited to patients who meet the clinical criteria defined in the commissioning statement.

NHS GM continues to monitor prescribing trends to ensure compliance with the approved pathway and commissioning policy.

2. The current waiting times for patients referred from primary care to commence treatment with Wegovy through Specialist Weight Management Services (SWMS) in Greater Manchester are approximately 10 to 18 months, depending on the locality and available commissioned capacity.

3. Prescribing of tirzepatide for weight management began in primary care and Specialist Weight Management Services (SWMS) from 13 October 2025 under the NHS GM commissioning arrangements.

At this early stage, patient numbers remain very limited, and formal validated activity data are not yet available.

NHS GM has established a monitoring process to track prescribing activity and patient numbers across both primary care and SWMS. This monitoring will provide validated data once sufficient prescribing activity has occurred

4. Weight-management prescribing of tirzepatide (Mounjaro) commenced in NHS Greater Manchester from 13 October 2025.

NHS GM has issued a commissioning statement for tirzepatide which sets out the eligibility criteria and prescribing requirements that must be followed by prescribers.

All GP practices can identify potentially eligible patients, but only those signed up to deliver the service can initiate treatment.

Patients requiring additional psychological or multidisciplinary support may be referred by their GP to Specialist Weight Management Services (SWMS) to receive treatment within that setting.

As prescribing has only recently commenced, validated data on waiting times are not yet available.

5. Wegovy is available only via Specialist Weight Management Services (SWMS).

A formal referral threshold is in development – it is expected that patients must meet the eligibility criteria for tirzepatide and GLP-1 RA agents,  which are aligned across liraglutide, semaglutide, and tirzepatide, set out in the commissioning statement. If they cannot for clinical reasons, use tirzepatide, or for whom an alternative GLP-1 RA agent is clinically more appropriate, may be considered for treatment with Wegovy (semaglutide) and will be referred to SWMS for review and prescribing.

6. In Greater Manchester, tirzepatide is available via both primary care and Specialist Weight Management Services (SWMS).

A formal referral threshold is in development -it is expected that the majority of eligible patients will be managed and prescribed tirzepatide in primary care, while more complex patients—for example, those requiring psychological support, multidisciplinary input, or specialist assessment—will be referred to SWMS for review and management.