The incoming GP contract will ensure private prescribers have read-only access to patient records in the course of direct patient care, including in supplying weight-loss jabs.

Though NHS England stressed this would only be the case with explicit patient consent.

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) said 'better access' to clinical records should help prescribers make 'more informed decisions' and in the case of weight-loss medication could be 'a useful source of information for independently verifying patient information'.

The move comes as concerns have been raised about the inappropriate supply of medication by private prescribers, particularly relating to weight-loss jabs supplied online, including a Channel 4 documentary that this week exposed serious concerns about the supply of Wegovy.

New GP contract ensures access to patient records

New rules introduced in the next GP contract – currently agreed ‘in principle’ with the British Medical Association (BMA) – will mean that surgeries must enable access to patient notes for private prescriber by 1 October 2025.

This follows concerns raised by the Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) that medication might be prescribed inappropriately where access to GP records is unavailable, while the Medical Defence Union (MDU) has previously advised GPs not to ignore requests for patient information.

The new GP contract stipulates that:

'By no later than 1 October 2025 GP contractors will be required to ensure the following functionality is enabled in GP Connect which:

  1. allows read only access to patients’ care records (GP Connect Access Record HTML and Structured) by other NHS commissioned providers, for the purposes of direct patient care and read only access for providers of private healthcare (only in cases where the private provider obtains explicit permission from the patient to access their NHS GP care record, and they are providing direct care to the patient).
  2. allows community pharmacy registered professionals to send consultation summaries into the GP practice workflow (GP Connect Update Record).'

A GPhC spokesperson said this 'may be a useful source of information' to help prescribers independently verify information provided by patients, as required in the new GPhC guidance.

New GPhC guidance released on 4 February 2025 requires prescribers to independently verify a person’s weight, height and/or body mass index before prescribing weight-loss medication.

And any information provided by a patient must be independently verified, either through 'timely two-way communication', accessing the person’s clinical records, or contacting the person’s GP, their regular prescriber, or a third-party provider.

‘By having better access to clinical records, prescribers and pharmacies should be able to make more informed decisions about the suitability of the medicines that they are supplying,' the GPhC spokesperson said.

‘We know this is a particular concern for more high-risk medicines, and particularly when they are being procured via online services.

‘For example, as set out in our guidance for registered pharmacies providing pharmacy services at a distance, including on the internet when supplying medicines for weight management, the prescriber has to independently verify the information a person provides, and the use of clinical records from the person’s GP (with consent) may be a useful source of information for this.’

Channel 4 Wegovy exposé 

This week a Channel 4 documentary showed a 16-year-old girl obtaining Wegovy from a Boots pharmacy despite the company's policy of only supplying the drug to over 18s.

In the Channel 4 Dispatches investigation, the 16-year old undercover reporter gave a false date of birth (stating she was 18) on her application form, and was not asked to provide ID to verify this either at the point or prescribing or collecting the medication.

Channel 4 said this happened for a second time to the same undercover reporter a week after the new GPhC guidance was introduced requiring prescribers to independently verify information provided by patients.

A Boots Online Doctor spokesperson said that since the latest GPhC guidance was introduced, it had strengthened its ID policy to only accept official photographic ID, and would be further reviewing its processes 'in consultation with GPhC and Care Quality Commission'.