Vitality, the next-generation health and life insurer, today announces an industry-first partnership with Boots, the UK’s leading health, wellness and beauty retailer, to make more healthcare services easily accessible and affordable for its members around the country. The partnership will start with Vitality members having discounted access to the Boots Online Doctor Weight Loss Service from this spring.  

The partnership will go on to provide access to a wide range of services and products, and exclusive benefits, reflecting the evolving role of insurance and Vitality’s dedication to supporting customers’ wider health and wellbeing. The announcement recognises the rising demand for primary care and continuous, long-term value beyond the traditional scope of health insurance.   

Boots and Vitality are united by a shared vision to support better access to healthcare across the nation and an ambition to provide a fully integrated healthcare experience. The partnership combines Vitality’s expertise in preventative care, clinical expertise and understanding of positive behaviour change, with Boots breadth of healthcare services and their trusted clinical expertise. It will create a new standard for insurance, combining preventative care and everyday health services, alongside diagnosis and secondary care. 

Boosting accessibility to weight loss services  

Vitality research shows that just under half of health insurance customers have used or would consider using weight loss medication, with many citing health improvement, past struggles with weight loss, or a desire to feel more confident as key factors.  

From spring, qualifying Vitality members will have access to up to 25% discount on Boots Online Doctor’s Weight Loss Service, which combines weight loss treatment with expert clinical care and access to a wide range of wrap-around support, including a programme promoting sustainable lifestyle and behavioural changes, access to an app to track progress and a free 12-month aftercare programme for customers who have stopped medication. The service is convenient to access, with medicines delivered to customers’ homes or at one of its 1,800 stores. All services will be delivered in line with UK clinical guidelines and eligibility criteria.  

The discount percentage will be tiered, depending on a person's Vitality status; a behavioural science backed system whereby members increase their status and the rewards they can access, as they take steps to live healthier lives. The approach will therefore see members access a higher discount when they are more physically active and healthier.  Research* conducted by Vitality shows that combining GLP-1 weight loss medications with even moderate exercise can reduce in-hospital costs by up to 63% within a year, almost twice the savings of the medication alone. The research also highlights that 13% of patients stop exercising after starting GLP-1 treatment, underlining the need for ongoing behavioural support to ensure health benefits and any weight loss can be maintained and sustained, and weight associated health risks remain low. 

Neville Koopowitz, CEO of Vitality, said: “Prevention represents one of the greatest opportunities of our time to improve health outcomes at scale, extend longevity and reduce the long-term cost burden on society. Realising this, requires a fundamental shift in how health is approached across the system, including the role insurers play. This partnership with Boots is built on those foundations. Lasting progress comes from empowering people with earlier access, better support and services, and the tools to make sustainable changes to their health and wellbeing. 

“As one of the most pressing health challenges of our time and drivers of preventable ill‑health, weight management is no exception. Through this partnership we will give members the tools and support to manage their weight, reduce associated health risk, and improve their health.  

“The combination of expertise and experience within this partnership across Boots and Vitality, is unique. Together we will support better long-term health outcomes, setting a new industry benchmark for integrated, preventative health in the UK.”  

Jamie Kerruish, Chief Healthcare Officer at Boots said: “This partnership will allow us to share our growing range of healthcare services with Vitality’s members, helping them to take control of their healthcare needs. Given the growing demand for weight loss medicines to treat obesity and their huge potential for transforming the nation’s health, kicking off this partnership with our Boots Online Doctor Weight Loss Service was an easy choice. 

“We are incredibly proud of our weight loss service proposition. Not only do we provide access to medicines to those who need them, we also offer a total support package that will help patients to make the lifestyle and behavioural changes to manage their weight sustainably. I look forward to expanding this partnership later this year to provide access to even more healthcare services available at Boots.” 

Vitality was the first health insurer to offer weight loss medication to its members in 2025, as part of its holistic weight loss programme.