Weight Management

Friends Medical runs a specialist, doctor-led weight management service in Northern Ireland. It is a structured medical programme, not a diet or an online prescription: full specialist assessment, individualised treatment, nutrition and lifestyle support, and long-term follow-up to help you lose weight and keep it off. No GP referral is needed. Call 028 9621 1981 to book.

For many people, weight is closely tied to their wider health, and diets alone have not delivered lasting results. Obesity is a chronic, relapsing medical condition, not a failure of willpower, and it responds best to specialist medical care. Our specialist weight management service treats it that way.

A Specialist Weight Management Service in Northern Ireland

Our doctor-led programme is one of Northern Ireland’s few specialist obesity medicine services. It is built around whole-person care: your treatment is planned, delivered and reviewed by a specialist in obesity medicine, supported by the clinical team and diagnostics of a full medical centre. We are based in Lurgan and care for patients across Belfast and Northern Ireland. You can refer yourself, as no GP referral is required.

Why This Is a Specialist Service, Not a Prescription

Most weight-loss services are built around a medication. This service is built around you.

• Specialist-led care. Every patient is assessed and followed up by a Master’s-qualified specialist in obesity medicine.
• A structured programme. A three-phase clinical pathway, from specialist assessment through medically supervised weight loss to long-term maintenance.
• A multidisciplinary team. Nursing, psychological support, physiotherapy, sleep assessment and diagnostics, under one roof.
• Long-term follow-up. Maintenance, relapse prevention and annual metabolic reviews. Care that continues after the weight comes off.

Who We Help

The service is designed for people whose weight is connected to their wider health, and for those who have tried before without lasting success. We regularly support patients living with:

• Type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes
• Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
• Sleep apnoea and other weight-related sleep problems
• High blood pressure and raised cardiovascular risk
• Previous unsuccessful diets and weight-loss attempts
• Weight regain after stopping medication with another provider

The Specialist Weight Management Programme

We do not sell appointments. We deliver a structured clinical programme in three phases: one continuous journey from assessment through supervised weight loss to long-term maintenance.

Phase 1: Your Health Assessment

• Extended face-to-face consultation with your specialist
• Baseline measurements: weight, BMI, blood pressure, waist circumference and pulse
• Full medical, weight and lifestyle history, with eligibility and contraindication screening
• Open discussion of treatment options, expected outcomes and side effects
• A personalised treatment plan, and your first month’s medication where it is prescribed

Phase 2: Medically Supervised Weight Loss

• Monthly specialist obesity reviews, by video for convenience or face-to-face when preferred
• Evidence-based treatment, individually optimised, with dose adjustment managed at every review
• Nutrition and lifestyle medicine, with no crash diets
• Weight, blood pressure and side-effect monitoring at every review
• Secure access to your clinician between appointments

Phase 3: Maintenance and Relapse Prevention

• A structured maintenance plan, with review frequency agreed with you
• Weight monitoring at every review, with early intervention if regain is identified
• Treatment continued or tapered under specialist guidance
• An annual metabolic health review of blood pressure, glucose and lipids
• Sustainable habits, embedded for the long term

The Monthly Specialist Obesity Review

The monthly review is the engine of the programme. It is not a repeat-prescription check. It is ongoing specialist care, delivered by your named specialist, that looks at the whole picture: your progress, your health, your treatment and your long-term plan, adjusted individually every time. Each review includes medication where it is part of your plan, dose optimisation, side-effect management, a full clinical review, progress tracking and long-term planning.

Weight-Loss Medication: One Tool, Not the Whole Answer

Modern obesity medicine has been transformed by highly effective treatments. Where it is clinically appropriate, your specialist may prescribe a licensed therapy such as tirzepatide or semaglutide as part of your plan. But medication alone is not a programme. It works best, and lasts longest, inside structured specialist care, and every prescription follows a full contraindication screen. Learn more about the individual treatments:

• Mounjaro (tirzepatide)
• Wegovy (semaglutide)
• Ozempic (semaglutide)

These are prescription-only medicines, available only after assessment and where clinically appropriate. Where medication is part of your plan, it is supplied by the clinic, so you always know exactly where it has come from.

A Full Multidisciplinary Team

Your programme sits inside a full medical centre. Where your specialist recommends it, additional clinical support is arranged within Friends Medical as part of your care:

• A named specialist in obesity medicine, for continuity at every stage
• A clinical nursing team for measurements, health checks and phlebotomy
• On-site diagnostics and blood testing
• Psychological support and behavioural medicine for emotional eating and behaviour change
• Sleep assessment where a weight-related sleep disorder is suspected
• Physiotherapy and personalised, achievable activity plans

What Success Looks Like

Success on this programme is not just a number on the scales. Our patients commonly achieve sustainable weight loss, better blood sugar control, reduced blood pressure, improved sleep, less joint pain and, where clinically appropriate, reduced medication requirements.

A Specialist Clinic Compared With an Online Weight-Loss Service

Weight-loss medication is now available from many online services. Both models have their place, but they are designed to do different things. An online service is usually medication-focused, with a remote prescriber, a standard protocol and limited clinical review. Our service is whole-person care, led by a named specialist in obesity medicine, with an individual treatment plan, ongoing clinical follow-up and access to psychological support, sleep assessment, physiotherapy and diagnostics, all aimed at long-term maintenance and metabolic health.

Meet Your Specialist

The programme is led by Dr Scott Thompson, a Specialist in Obesity Medicine who holds a Master’s degree in Obesity and Weight Management, awarded with distinction, alongside membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners. He qualified in medicine at the University of Aberdeen and has been delivering specialist, doctor-led weight management care in Northern Ireland since 2020. His approach is unhurried, judgement-free and personal: obesity is a chronic medical condition, and lasting results come from understanding each patient’s history, circumstances and goals before any treatment is considered.

Is This Programme Right for You?

• You have tried multiple diets without lasting success
• You have regained weight before
• You have PCOS, type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes
• You have sleep apnoea or high blood pressure
• You want a specialist service, not a subscription
• You want long-term results, not a quick fix

Where to Find Us: Lurgan, Limavady & L/Derry

Our clinics are based at Friends Medical Services, Southside Healthcare, 41 High Street, Lurgan, Craigavon BT66 8AH, with further clinics in Limavady (Bovally Medical, Edenmore Road, BT49 0TE) and L/Derry (Quayside Medical, 82-84 Strand Road, BT48 7NN). We care for patients travelling from Belfast, Craigavon, Portadown, Lisburn, Banbridge and Armagh, and across Northern Ireland, as well as cross-border patients from the Republic of Ireland.

To start, use the Book Appointment button at the top of this page, or call our team on 028 9621 1981 to arrange your specialist Health Assessment.