As an NHS GP, I can now prescribe weight-loss jabs – but a quick fix for obesity is not what we need | Helen Salisbury

Until this week only doctors in specialist clinics were allowed to prescribe tirzepatide (Mounjaro) to treat obesity on the NHS .

It was almost impossible for GPs to get their patients into these clinics.

To be eligible, patients need to be not just at risk of complications from their obesity, but already suffering from them.

They must have existing diagnoses of four out of five specific conditions.

Beyond food regulation, we need to buy back school playing fields, offer opportunities to exercise for free, and encourage active transport by making pavements pleasant and cycle routes safe. The current obesity crisis arises from a complex mix of social and commercial determinants of health and these are not problems that can be fixed with a simple injection. - Helen Salisbury is a GP in Oxford .