Ambulances ‘supersized’ to cope with soaring obesity

NHS trusts are buying “supersize” ambulances to cope with the growing numbers of obese patients.

Ambulance trusts have spent at least £1.3million on hundreds of reinforced vehicles, replacing ambulances with models which can take patients of up to 60 stone, after a tenfold rise in obesityrelated admissions.

Such admissions have increased from 52,000 in 2006 to 520,000 in 2016. The figures, released following Freedom of Information requests, show South East Coast Ambulance (Secamb) has spent £562,000 on three ambulances reinforced to take heavy loads since 2010. They have been used 1,700 times in five years, while other vehicles have been fitted with lifts and large stretchers at a cost of £36,000.

East of England spent £432,000 on eight vehicles, with 16 bariatric stretchers – specially designed for obese patients – over three years. Richard Webber, from the College of Paramedics, said paramedics were struggling to cope.

“The retirement age is now 67 for paramedics and ambulance service staff. That’s pretty hard, to be working carrying patients up and down stairs at that age, and patients are getting heavier,” he said.

Rob Shaw, a former ambulance technician for Secamb, said he had to deal with patients weighing more than 30 stone. “When someone is in front of you, taking their last breaths, you’ve got to do something. There’s no time for warm-up exercises, you’re putting your body under a lot of stress,” he said.

In some areas all vehicles are able to take obese patients, or have been reinforced. In West Midlands, all 420 A&E ambulances are bariatric capable, but there are eight specialist vehicles and seven on the way, costing £114,000.

North West Ambulance Service has eight bariatric vehicles, used 40,000 times in four years, and has spent £184,000 on specialist equipment since 2015. At East Midlands, there are 225 bariatric-capable vehicles for patients up to 50 stone, six with hoists and lifts. South Central has 10 bariatric vehicles arriving this year.

London has three special ambulances which can take patients up to 70 stone and uses a third-party provider for emergencies.

South Western has invested in one “mega trolley” for patients up to 60 stone, while Yorkshire has 109 bariatric stretchers.