Weight Management & Community Pharmacy in Scotland

Published: 15/10/25

As part of the preventative agenda, Community Pharmacy Scotland calls for the community pharmacy network to be commissioned to deliver a national NHS weight loss service, focussing on the direct use of medicines.

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Our Mission, Vision and Strategy makes clear our ambitions for community pharmacy in Scotland for the next 5 years and the practical actions required to make our vision a reality. 

Our Mission is to prevent, detect and treat illness close to home, delivering healthier communities across Scotland. 

Pharmacists are experts in medicines and pharmaceutical care and have a long history of delivering preventative interventions, helping thousands of people to stop smoking being just one example. The accessibility of pharmacies within communities makes them uniquely placed to support patients to set and meet their health goals, shifting the balance of care towards prevention and away from secondary care. 

The impact of obesity on health outcomes and health services is devastating, with clear links to diabetes, cardiovascular disease and hypertension to name a few. In 2023, 32% of adults in Scotland were living with obesity therefore supporting individuals to maintain a healthy weight is a key public health priority for Scotland.  

Community pharmacy teams already excel as weight management providers, with most now offering private services to support behaviour change, in person, alongside the appropriate use of medications. In particular, we believe that the best way of the NHS deploying newer GLP-1 medicines to target populations as recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is by doing so through the community pharmacy network. Our teams can identify and engage with people who are often missed by traditional services, making sure that limited resources are put to best use. Critically, community pharmacies can also ensure safety and effectiveness through a trusted supply chain and the ability to deliver face-to-face consultations. We believe that our teams’ experience in supporting positive behaviour change will result in people achieving - and more importantly, maintaining - weight loss that will transform their lives. That is why a National NHS weight loss service, delivered by the community pharmacy network is one of our top priority policy ambitions for the 2026 Scottish elections. 

To find out more read our manifesto here… 

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