West Lothian will join a region wide pilot scheme offering weight loss jabs free of charge to patients.
Weight loss injections including Mounjaro and Wegovy have become very popular but are expensive with monthly costs starting around £150.
The programme will cost more than £200,000 in West Lothian in the first year and almost £1m across the region. It is being led by NHS Lothian’s Dietetic Weight Management Service.
West Lothian’s Integration Joint Board which oversees Health and Social Care heard that the money will cover staff costs as well as costs of the injections.
NHS Lothian Dietetic Weight Management Service is a dietetic-led, community-based multi-disciplinary team hosted by Midlothian HSCP on behalf of NHS Lothian. The service provides specialist lifestyle and behavioural management.
A report to the IJB detailed:” Obesity medicines semaglutide (Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro) have been approved for use by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) for weight management.
“The report outlines how semaglutide and tirzepatide will be initiated within the Dietetic‑led Weight Management Service, supported by Independent Prescribers and medical oversight.
“It sets out the proposed phased approach for onboarding the first two patient cohorts, the governance arrangements underpinning safe prescribing, and the operational requirements needed to deliver the pathway.”
The report added: “The combined staffing and medication costs in terms of revenue implications for West Lothian IJB in 2026/27 is £208,000, with a recurring cost of £251,000.
“There is a risk that based on the proposed staffing model that demand will exceed capacity. With further financial risks due to the current costs of medications and lack of extra resources. “
Stuart Sommerville, Local Democracy Reporter
