Lloyds Online Doctor will provide door delivery of prescriptions to its patients undergoing weight-loss treatments in Ireland.
Patients who have online clinical weight-loss consultations with Pharmacy2U's Lloyds Online Doctor website can get their prescriptions delivered to their door by a pharmacy delivery partner or collect them from another pharmacy of their choice.
It will also bring down the typical time taken to receive prescribed treatments from several days to 24-48 hours.
The new option comes amid a national shortage of GPs, leading to delays in people being able to obtain prescriptions.
With an estimated one million people in Ireland living with a BMI over 30, demand for weight-loss treatments continues to rise and primary care services are unable to cope.
On the other hand, there has been a surge in unsafe alternatives entering the market.
The new service aims to provide safe and rapid access with high clinical standards.
At Lloyds, patients complete an online consultation assessed by qualified clinicians to ensure that only appropriate treatments are prescribed.
The provision of Saturday consultations online, as well as six-day delivery, will also give patients more flexibility in managing their medication needs.
The delivery also applies to patients who are with Lloyds Online Doctor for erectile dysfunction, contraception, and hair loss services.
Lloyds Online Doctor's chief medical officer Dr Kieran Seyan said, “This represents an important step in improving patient access in Ireland, enabling prescribed medication to be delivered directly to patients in a safe and efficient way.
"At a time when access to primary care can be variable in some parts of the country, our service provides an additional route for patients to obtain a clinician-reviewed prescription, where appropriate, without requiring an in-person appointment.
“We are seeing growing demand for weight management services, where access to safe, regulated treatment is essential. By combining clinician-led assessment, independent pharmacy review and the option for home delivery, this approach enables us to support more patients while maintaining robust clinical standards and governance.”
