Be Active+ Exercise Referral Scheme – this free programme is available to sedentary or inactive individuals aged 14 and over, who are registered at a Birmingham GP, and have an existing health condition or other risk factors for disease. A patient needs to have 2 or more low risk conditions, or 1 or more medium risk conditions according to the inclusion criteria. The programme is 12 weeks and offered at a number of leisure facilities.

Beezee in Birmingham - courses that provide adults with a disability or learning needs with 1:1 nutrition support from a dietician, realistic weight goals based on your medication and health conditions, with friendly support network of people like you. The service is for adults aged 16 years and over, living with a physical, visual impairment, learning disability or autism. Participants must have the ability to consent to take part and have Body Mass Index (BMI) of 25kg/m2 (or more than 23kg/m2 if you are of Asian or Black origin). Participants need to live in Birmingham or be registered with a Birmingham GP.  You can self-refer to Beezee by emailing beezee.bodies@nhs.net, calling 03308 186 308 or via the website.

Birmingham Digital Adult Weight Management Programme - Healum – 12-week adult weight management programme delivered via a mobile app for those who are aged 16 or over, have a BMI of 25kg/m2 (or more than 23kg/m2 if you are of Asian or Black origin) and live in Birmingham or are registered with a Birmingham GP. You can self-refer by emailing birmingham.awm@healum.com

BeeZee Families - is a free 16-week programme designed to help children aged 5-12 who are above a healthy weight, along with their families. You can self-refer via the website and the programme helps families to adopt lasting healthy habits. Led by experts, the programme provides practical advice, fun activities, and a supportive environment to encourage positive lifestyle changes. Families can choose from different ways to participate, making it easier to fit the programme into their schedules. Participants can attend in-person weekly group sessions, which include tailored support, engaging activities, and take-home resources. Online group sessions offer a more flexible option with weekly one-hour interactive sessions over 10 weeks, plus two check-in calls. For those needing even more flexibility, BeeZee Academy provides self-paced online learning for six months. The programme is available to families in Birmingham with children who are above their ideal weight according to the NHS BMI centile chart.

Solihull on the move - free activities, local community groups and clubs, and home exercise options. 

Healthy Weight Programmes - a number of options are available to support residents concerned about their weight in Solihull. 

DocSpot Exercise referral - a 12-week physical activity programme for adults in Solihull with long-term health conditions and those at risk of developing a condition. It is a great opportunity to improve health and wellbeing through a tailored programme of physical activity. Regular physical activity can help prevent and manage over 20 health conditions. To be referred to the programme adults must contact their GP.

The NHS has a range of advice and tools to help with weight loss which you can find here.

NHS Digital Weight Management Service  - a targeted support offer and access to weight management services in primary care for adults with a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes or hypertension with a BMI of 30+ (adjusted for ethnicity)

NHS Type 2 Diabetes Path to Remission Programme - a low-calorie treatment for adults in Birmingham and Solihull living with Type 2 diabetes who are above a healthy weight. The 12-month programme is completely free, but individuals can only take part via referral from their GP practice.

Specialist Weight Management Services - University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust and Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust both run specialist weight management programmes. 

The NHS in Birmingham and Solihull is seeing unprecedented demand for theseservices - driven by rising levels of obesity, growing awareness of weight-related health risks, increased interest in bariatric surgery, and the emergence of weight-loss medications.

Eligibility criteria has been introduced to prioritise patients with the most urgent and complex health needs, including those requiring weight loss to access life-saving treatments such as surgery, cancer care, or organ transplants.

Weight loss medication is not available via these services, and you will only be referred to these services by a GP if the GP has assessed that you meet one or more of the following criteria:

• People with a body mass index (BMI) of over 50;
• People with a BMI of more than 35 and type 2 diabetes (for less than 10 years);
• Patients with precancerous or cancerous conditions in which weight management would improve outcomes or aid access to therapies.
• Patients requiring urgent weight loss for organ transplant.
• Patients with Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) requiring frequent lumber punctures and/or visual compromise.
• Patients undergoing planned time sensitive surgery (including bariatric surgery) for life-limiting conditions, where high BMI is the primary barrier to surgery and weigh loss would be beneficial.
• Where weight loss is required for assisted conception in women under the care of a fertility service, in cases where weight loss would be beneficial.
• Patients with severe obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) and/or severe asthma.
• Patients with proven genetic cause of obesity and not eligible for setmelanotide.

*Life-limiting defined as any condition where life is extended by the intervention.

• Tirzepatide - also known as Mounjaro® - is a drug approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and it mimics gut hormones released by the body after eating - telling a person’s brain they are full and slowing down the time it takes the stomach to empty.
• Tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) is being made available via GPs in primary care settings, for the management of obesity as directed by NICE for the next three years.
• You can read updated NICE guidelines for tirzepatide here. 

• Whilst the new national policy to make this drug available via primary care was introduced on 23 June 2025, it's important to note that doesn’t mean GPs will begin prescribing from that date.
• Access to the drug via GPs will be phased in gradually to ensure effective and safe management of the prescribing of tirzepatide (Mounjaro®).
• In Birmingham and Solihull, the NHS is working towards this new policy and system being in place to ensure eligible patients have access to Tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) from autumn 2025.
• It is expected that eligible patients will be identified through their health records and will be contacted directly by their GP.
• Access to the drug will be accompanied by wraparound care which will include support for people to make dietary changes and to increase physical activity.

• Aligned to NICE guidance, eligibility criteria in year one (2025-26) is: patients aged over 18 with a Body Mass Index (BMI) over 40 and four or more of the following diagnosed health conditions: Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obstructive sleep apnoea, and abnormal blood fats (dyslipidaemia).  A lower BMI threshold will be applied (reduced by 2.5 kg/m2) for people from South Asian, Chinese, other Asian, Middle Eastern, Black African or African-Caribbean ethnic backgrounds.
• It is expected that eligible patients will be identified through their health records and will be contacted directly by their GP.
• Access to the drug will be accompanied by wraparound care which will include support for people to make dietary changes and to increase physical activity.
• The NHS in Birmingham and Solihull welcomes this positive move, recognising the significant impact of obesity, not only on individuals, but on the NHS and wider society. 
• However, the NHS in Birmingham and Solihull has been given very limited central funding to make Tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) available to patients via GPs which will mean access to it will be extremely limited and only those with the highest health needs will be prioritised.
• The Government and NHS England have been clear that Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System must breakeven in 2025/26 and the system is delivering unprecedented cost savings of over £330m.
• This means difficult decisions are having to be made to ensure money is spent in the most effective and efficient way possible and for the greatest patient benefit.
• It also means that the NHS locally in Birmingham and Solihull does not have the means to plug gaps to fund drugs or treatment when central funding allocations have fallen short.
• The NHS in Birmingham and Solihull recognises that it will be disappointing for patients who will not be eligible for tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) on the NHS.

• Patients can continue taking tirzepatide if they are prescribed it to manage their diabetes.
• If patients are using tirzepatide they have acquired privately, they may be able to access the medication through an NHS prescription if they meet the NICE and NHS qualifying criteria. More information about this will be made available from autumn 2025.

If you are eligible for tirzepatide you will be contacted directly by your GP from autumn 2025 onwards.

• Normal prescription charges will apply unless you are entitled to free NHS prescriptions (for example, because you have a medical exemption certificate).