What's the criteria for Mounjaro on the NHS — and what happens if you don't meet it?

Step 1, Check whether your BMI and conditions match the current open cohort

The NHS opened Mounjaro prescribing to its first cohort in June 2025. To sit in that cohort you need a BMI of 40 or above and at least four of these five conditions: high blood pressure, dyslipidaemia (raised cholesterol or triglycerides), obstructive sleep apnoea, a history of cardiovascular disease, or type 2 diabetes. Meeting the BMI threshold alone isn't enough. Meeting three conditions rather than four isn't enough either, at this stage.

A second cohort (BMI 35–39.9 with four or more of the same conditions) is scheduled to open around June 2026 under NHS England's phased implementation plan. A third, covering BMI 40-plus with three conditions, is expected around March 2027. Each phase effectively widens the door; the criteria are deliberately graduated so NHS services can scale capacity before demand peaks. You can read the full eligibility detail on our Mounjaro NHS criteria page, which tracks each cohort as it opens.

A quick habit worth building: pull up your last GP blood-pressure reading or cholesterol letter and count how many of those five conditions appear. It takes under a minute and tells you immediately whether you're likely in scope, or likely to wait for a future cohort.

Step 2, Confirm whether your GP practice has actually signed up

This is where NHS access gets complicated. From 1 April 2026 GP practices in England may prescribe tirzepatide under a new QOF contract, but participation is optional. Some practices signed up promptly; others haven't yet, or are waiting for local NHS pathway infrastructure. There is currently no public searchable list, so the only reliable check is to ask your practice directly.

Even within a participating practice, every patient must be enrolled in wrap-around diet and physical activity support, this is a formal requirement, not an optional extra. If that support isn't locally commissioned or the practice waiting list for it is long, your access could be delayed further. The criteria a GP follows to prescribe Mounjaro cover both the clinical thresholds and this wraparound-care requirement in detail.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland operate their own access systems with different thresholds. If you're outside England, NHS guidance from your own nation applies, so the phasing described here may not match what your local health board is doing.

Step 3, Understand what happens when the NHS criteria don't apply to you

Many people who are clinically suitable for tirzepatide don't meet the current NHS cohort criteria, or do meet them but face a long wait at a practice that hasn't enrolled yet. The licensed eligibility for private prescribing is broader: adults with a BMI of 30 or above, or 27 or above with at least one weight-related condition, can be assessed for treatment through a regulated private pharmacy.

Private treatment requires a prescription following a genuine clinical assessment, there is no shortcut. What it removes is the NHS cohort queue and the GP-contract dependency. Our private Mounjaro criteria guide explains exactly which conditions count and how the assessment works. If you want to understand the prescription process more broadly, the criteria for a Mounjaro prescription page covers both NHS and private routes side by side.

Cost is a real consideration. Private Mounjaro pricing has shifted since Eli Lilly raised UK list prices in September 2025, market prices now typically range from around £149 to £375 per month depending on dose and provider, as widely reported. Our Mounjaro price guide explains what those figures usually include and what to watch for. NICE's published recommendation (TA1026) remains the authoritative source for NHS eligibility, and NHS England's weight management injections page sets out the wrap-around care expectations that sit alongside any NHS prescription.

Step 4, Take the next step that fits your situation

If you meet the current NHS cohort criteria, the right move is to speak to your GP and ask whether your practice is prescribing under the new contract. If your practice isn't enrolled or you're waiting for a future cohort, a regulated private route assessed by a GPhC-registered prescriber is the alternative most people explore. Mounjaro remains a prescription-only medicine regardless of the route, the clinical assessment is the constant.

Our clinical team, including our lead prescriber, reviews every consultation personally on the same day it's submitted. Treatment through Mounjaro at nume follows the same licensed eligibility criteria; suitability is confirmed at consultation, not assumed in advance. If you're still mapping out your options, the weight-loss treatment overview sets out how Mounjaro fits alongside other licensed medicines.