Provider checks

Check the people and premises behind the website

Find the legal business name, the dispensing pharmacy's name and address, and the identity or registration details of the prescriber. Check Great Britain pharmacies through the GPhC and Northern Ireland pharmacies through the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland. The relevant professional register depends on whether the prescriber is a doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

Match the details yourself rather than relying on a badge in a website footer. If a brand uses another company to prescribe or dispense, ask who does what. Registration is a useful check of identity and regulatory status; it is not a guarantee that a particular prescription will be appropriate for you.

Expect questions that support a real assessment

Under GPhC guidance, online weight-management prescribing needs safeguards beyond an unverified questionnaire. Clinical information, including height, weight or BMI, must be independently verified using an appropriate method. You should have an opportunity for two-way communication, not simply a checkout form that turns answers into an order.

Be open about medicines, medical history and previous treatment. If a question is difficult to answer, ask for help. If a verification method is inaccessible or makes you uncomfortable, ask for an appropriate alternative and an explanation. Do not alter answers to get past a rejection: the prescriber needs accurate information to assess risk.

Read the aftercare terms before the discount terms

Ask who handles symptoms, how routine reviews work and how to contact a clinician outside the next ordering window. Check what happens if delivery is delayed, a product arrives damaged or the prescriber decides further treatment is unsuitable. Keep the written answer and the terms that applied when you paid.

For costs, compare the same product, strength, quantity and customer eligibility. Add compulsory delivery and consultation fees and note whether a discount is only for a first order. ‘Cheapest listed’ describes a price within a checked comparison; it does not rank clinical care. If you cannot establish who is responsible for the service, resolve that before placing an order.