We are pleased to be able to offer an online consultation tool as part of our service. They can be a convenient way for you to contact us about your health and can often save you time. However, we want to remind you that online queries are not always suitable for every situation. What follows is advice on how to get the best out of the online consultation tool and, importantly, use it safely.

When using the online consultation tool may not be safe

Using online forms or messages for urgent or serious symptoms can sometimes delay the care you need. For example, online consultation tools are not appropriate if you are experiencing:

• Chest pain or difficulty breathing
• Severe abdominal pain
• Signs of a stroke (such as sudden weakness, facial droop, or difficulty speaking)
• Heavy bleeding
• Sudden confusion or collapse
• Any situation where you feel your life may be at risk

In these circumstances, please call 999 immediately or go straight to the nearest Accident & Emergency department.

When to call instead

• If your problem is urgent but not life-threatening, please telephone the practice so that we can assess and advise you quickly.

How to use the online consultation tool safely

Online consultation tools work best for:

• Routine queries
• Requests for sick notes for a condition already assessed by a clinician at the surgery
• Non-urgent health advice
• Follow-up questions about existing conditions

By using the service appropriately, you help us to keep it safe and effective for everyone. Please be aware that if the number of queries rises above safe capacity then the queries may be added to a waiting list to be answered at a future date.

Patients are encouraged to check if an alternative service could answer their query.

For example, if the query is about a hospital appointment or visit - contact the hospital department, or if it is about a medication – use the NHS app to request repeats or contact your community pharmacy. More information on the range of services available to you can be found on our website: Homepage - Moorland Medical Centre

Thank you for your understanding and for helping us provide the best possible care for you and all our patients.

15 August 2025:

Weight management medication – update for patients 

Following approval by NICE, tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) will be available on the NHS for eligible patients who meet the strict, nationally-set, criteria.  

The current criteria is that patients are those with a BMI of 40 or higher, and with four or more of the qualifying comorbidities (hypertension, dyslipidaemia, obstructive sleep apnoea, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes) will be eligible for assessment to identify their suitability for Mounjaro. Anyone not meeting these criteria will not be eligible for assessment in the first year of the drug being available.  

Please do not contact your GP; if you are eligible to be assessed you will be contacted over the coming months and invited to attend an appointment for assessment. Those with the greatest clinical need will be contacted first, so this may mean you have to wait a little longer for an appointment, however it is our intention that anyone who meets the above criteria will have been invited for an assessment over the next 12 months. 

The service in Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent will be provided by General Practice ‘hubs’, this means you may be asked to attend a location that is not your normal GP practice but will still be accessible. GP practices have been asked to work together to ensure that you have better access to the specialist skills needed to deliver a holistic lifestyle assessment. The hubs will be managed by GPs from your local ‘primary care network (PCN)’ and your registered GP will be updated with all your progress and assessments. 

We recognise that a number of patients who have been taking the medication privately will be affected by the announcement of 14^th August, outlining price increases to the Mounjaro injections. The NHS position still remains the same; we will only be offering the injection to those who meet the criteria set out above. Your GP will be able to support you with a conversation about managing your weight but will not be able to prescribe Mounjaro.   

If you are looking for support to help you manage your weight you can find useful information and resources on the ICS website at https://staffsstokeics.org.uk/local-weight-management-services/ and on the dedicated page for weight management medication at Weight Management Medication – Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, ICS . 

Patients with a complaint about this matter, should contact the Patient Advisory Liaison Services at patientservices@staffsstoke.icb.nhs.uk .

23 June 2025: From today (23 June 2025), following approval by NICE, tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) will be available in the NHS for eligible patients who meet the strict, nationally-set, criteria. 

The current criteria is that patients are those with a BMI of 40 or higher, and with four or more of the qualifying comorbidities (hypertension, dyslipidaemia, obstructive sleep apnoea, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes) will be eligible for assessment to identify their suitability for Mounjaro. Anyone not meeting these criteria will not be eligible for assessment in the first year of the drug being available. 

Please do not contact your GP; if you are eligible to be assessed you will be contacted over the coming months and invited to attend an appointment for assessment. Those with the greatest clinical need will be contacted first. 

Weight Management Reminders

We are aware that GPs are also still receiving enquiries about the availability of Oviva (Wegovy) in Staffordshire ad Stoke-on-Trent; the statement about that is below.

SSOT ICB does not commission a tier 3 weight management service from Oviva in Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent.  In line with NICE and NHSE guidance, weight management injections will be made available to eligible patients through a locally commissioned service from the end of June 2025.

Weight Management Services and Pregnancy/Contraception

Women taking medicines for weight loss and diabetes should continue to use effective contraception while taking these medicines, and in some cases for up to two months between stopping the medicine and trying to become pregnant. 

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has warned that prescribed medication, such as Mounjaro, must not be taken during pregnancy, while trying to get pregnant or during breastfeeding. Anyone who gets pregnant while using them should speak to their healthcare professional and stop the medicine as soon as possible. This is because there is not enough safety data to know whether taking the medicine could cause harm to the baby. 

Effective contraception includes oral (the pill) and non-oral (the implant, coil or condoms) forms of contraception.

Mounjaro may reduce the effectiveness of oral contraceptives in those who are overweight. Those taking Mounjaro who are overweight and are using an oral form of contraceptive are advised to also use a non-oral form of contraception. This only applies to those taking Mounjaro, and is especially important for the four weeks after starting Mounjaro and after any dose increase. 

The full advice can be found on the regulator’s website. It comes after concerns from the UK regulator that some people are not using these medicines for weight loss and diabetes safely.