How an online doctor for Wegovy actually works in the UK

Step 1, completing a clinical consultation that a prescriber can actually use

The consultation is where everything begins. A thorough online form covers your medical history, current medicines, BMI, weight-related conditions, and any past use of GLP-1 treatments. This is not a checkbox exercise: the responses need to be detailed enough for a prescriber to make a clinical decision, the same way a GP appointment would. You will also be asked to verify your identity with photo ID, and weight is confirmed on a live video call. That step matters. Without it, a prescriber cannot safely assess whether Wegovy is appropriate for you specifically.

Eligibility broadly follows the licensed criteria: adults with a BMI of 30 or above, or 27 and above alongside a qualifying condition such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol or obstructive sleep apnoea. Lower BMI thresholds apply for some ethnic backgrounds under UK guidance. Meeting those numbers is a starting point, not a guarantee, the prescriber weighs the whole picture, including your medication list and any contraindications. If you are curious about the age requirements in more detail, the age criteria for Wegovy page covers what the licence specifies.

NICE's guidance on semaglutide for weight management (TA875) sets out the clinical framework that NHS prescribers follow, and it shapes best-practice standards for private prescribing too. Reading how NICE's Wegovy recommendations apply in practice can help you understand what a prescriber is looking for.

Step 2, what a GPhC-registered prescriber actually reviews

Once your consultation is submitted, a GPhC-registered Independent Prescriber reads it. Not software, not a triage algorithm, a named clinician. At nume, that review happens the same day. The prescriber checks for contraindications (a history of certain thyroid or pancreatic conditions, for instance), assesses drug interactions, and confirms that the treatment aligns with the licensed indication. If anything needs clarification, they will follow up before issuing a prescription.

People sometimes ask whether an online assessment is as rigorous as a face-to-face one. The clinical information gathered is equivalent; what differs is convenience, not depth. The prescriber still has access to your medication history, the ability to ask follow-up questions and, where clinically appropriate, the option to notify your GP in line with GPhC guidance. That notification step (often skipped by less careful providers) is part of joined-up care.

For patients transferring from another clinic or changing doses, supporting evidence of current treatment is required. That is not bureaucracy for its own sake; it is what safe prescribing looks like for a medicine that carries a Black Triangle (▼) status, meaning additional MHRA monitoring applies.

Step 3, dispensing and delivery once a prescription is issued

A prescription from an online prescriber is dispensed by a GPhC-registered pharmacy. The pharmacy sources medicines through the licensed UK supply chain (Novo Nordisk's authorised distribution network for Wegovy) not from parallel imports or grey-market channels. This distinction is worth understanding. The MHRA has warned clearly about counterfeit weight-loss pens circulating online, some of which have contained insulin rather than semaglutide. A GPhC-registered pharmacy is verifiable on the GPhC public register, always worth checking before you hand over payment or personal data.

At nume, orders placed by 12pm on a working day are dispatched the same day once the prescriber has approved them, arriving by DPD the next working day in plain packaging. It is a detail that matters to people ordering around the holidays or on a payday Friday when they finally have the headroom to start. The tracking notification lands on your phone; no need to wait in.

For a sense of what Wegovy costs privately and what an honest all-in price includes, the Wegovy pricing guide breaks down what to look for and what to question. Treatment pricing at nume is on the treatment page.

Step 4, aftercare and ongoing clinical review

A one-off consultation is not enough for a medicine that involves a titration schedule stretching over months. Each time treatment continues, a prescriber should review your progress, any side effects you have experienced, and whether the dose is appropriate to increase. At nume that review happens before every repeat, not as a formality, but because the NHS itself is clear that ongoing monitoring is part of responsible prescribing for GLP-1 medicines.

Common side effects of semaglutide are predominantly gastrointestinal: nausea, loose stools, constipation, reflux and occasional burping, typically most noticeable in the weeks after starting or after a dose step up. The NHS medicines page for semaglutide sets out what to expect and when symptoms warrant calling your prescriber or GP. Serious signs such as severe, persistent abdominal pain that spreads to the back (which could indicate pancreatitis) require urgent medical attention, not a phone call to the clinic the following morning.

If you are weighing up Wegovy against other treatments, the Wegovy comparison guide and the specific Wegovy versus Ozempic breakdown explain the differences in licensing, mechanism and evidence. Both are semaglutide, but only Wegovy is licensed for weight management in the UK. Our clinical team is available for aftercare queries seven days a week.