Obese patients are deprived of life-changing hip and knee replacements and painfully cuts the NHS costs of spiral spirals, independent Can be revealed.
One third of the NHS region in England and several health boards in Wales are blocking visits to patients based on their body mass index (BMI).
The move is considered “unfair” and “discriminatory” and violates guidance from the National Institute of Nursing (NICE), which should not use BMI to limit patients’ access to combined alternative surgery.
Instead, patients were told to lose weight before qualifying, but the waiting list for NHS weight loss programs surged, with some waiting for up to three years while other services were closed to cope with demand.
Royal surgeons criticized the policy, saying that rejecting patients’ care could cost their mobility and lead to worsening of their health, while Conservative peer and former health minister James Bethell called on the government to do more to resolve the obesity crisis and end “millions of suffering.”
The latest data from the National Office of Statistics shows that more than 64% of adults in England live overweight or obese in 2022-23 years.
The news came as 7.4 million people were waiting for NHS treatment in March, while health service leaders warned they were forced to cut services to meet the government's huge savings needs.
Shocking surgical rejection revelation was found in the referral criteria for the National Institute of Health and Nursing (NIHR) for the referral criteria for the use of NHS institutions.
It found that 15 out of 42 areas limit the chances of BMI surgery, and independent The same is true in Wales where at least two health boards were found. The threshold varies with area, and some limits the threshold of BMI of less than 35 (obese patients) or 40 (severe obesity).
Dr. Joanna McLaughlin, lead investigator and NIHR clinical lecturer at the University of Bristol, told independent Through her research, policy makers, specialists and surgeons “recognize that NHS financial stress is the primary driver of BMI threshold policy use and that their lack of confidence in these policies is based on evidence of health benefits.”
The study also found that NHS weight management support services were “undersufficient” and could not ensure that those who were excluded from the surgery could be supported to lose enough weight. Some patients resort to private surgery.
Dr. McLaughlin said: “The diversity of BMI restrictions and the attempts to prove patients to try to lose weight. [integrated care boards] Highlight the zip code lottery and inequality caused by these policies. ”
Several ICBs identified in this study independent If some people pass the assessment, some patients with high BMI can still receive care, while others say they need to prove they are “suitable for surgery”.
“Discovering such options will cause millions of pain,” former health secretary James Bessel warned.
But the medical staff told independent This BMI should not be used as a sole restrictive measure.
Tim Mitchell, president of the Royal College of Surgeons in England, said that weight loss before surgery can reduce the risk of complications and patients should be supported here.
But, he said, “BMI alone should not be a barrier”, adding: “We cannot punish those who are not very suitable but are still eligible for surgery because this approach is unfair and ignores clinical guidance.”
Mark Bowditch, president of the British Orthopedic Association, said: “For people with limited mobility difficulties, weight loss before surgery can be very difficult.
“In addition, people from certain socioeconomic impoverished areas or ethnic groups are more likely to be obese, so care must be taken to avoid adverse status to certain patient groups.”
“We hear heartbreaking stories of people who are desperate to stop suffering and even when referring the surgery they desperately need to go to the surgery they are referred to, they can face obstacles.
“We often hear people refuse to referrals or be evacuated due to their weight, and the weight index is considered a reason. We have to make sure that this discriminatory practice does not become the standard.”
Lord Bessel said the rows for BMI thresholds operated show that the NHS “need to choose” to prevent weight loss stings, which cost £100 per month or treat obesity-related diseases, such as those that cause HIP surgery, could cost £10,000.
He said the government could choose to fight “junk food UK” through tough food strategies or pay more to pay for the consequences of patients.
He added: “It's one or another. Avoiding this option will cause millions of bankruptcy in our country and the pain of the end of the government.”
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Social Care said the ICB is expected to follow good guidance. They added that the department's plan to change the NHS includes the introduction of weight loss pills to “people who need it most.”
