Smokers and obese banned from surgery
Lose weight first, say health chiefs
SMOKERS and the morbidly obese will be denied routine operations unless they quit tobacco or lose weight, say regional health chiefs.
The measures mean patients with a BMI of 35 or above will have to shed 5 per cent of their weight, while smokers will have to quit for eight weeks before surgery is approved.
The NHS in Devon claims the ‘temporary’ cuts are needed to meet waiting list targets and manage a £14.5million local deficit.
The plan to ‘prioritise essential services’ covers all surgical procedures except those deemed urgent or necessary, including cancer operations, IVF treatment or caesarean sections. Shoulder surgery will be restricted and only one hearing aid, instead of the normal two, will be allocated to people with hearing loss.
Dr Tim Burke, chairman of the Northern, Eastern and Western Devon Clinical Commissioning Group, said: ‘We recognise that each patient is an individual and where their GP or consultant feels that there are exceptional circumstances we will convene a panel of clinicians to consider the case.’ But the Royal College of Surgeons strongly criticised the plan, saying a blanket ban on surgery was unacceptable and storing up greater pressures for the future.
A spokesman said: ‘The need for an operation should always be judged by a surgeon based on their clinical assessment of the patient and the risks and benefits of the surgery – not determined by arbitrary criteria.
‘Losing weight or giving up smoking is an important consideration for patients undergoing surgery in order to improve their outcomes, but for some patients these steps may not be possible. A blanket ban on scheduled operations for those who cannot follow these measures is unacceptable and too rigid.’ Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham called for the plan to be blocked, adding: ‘It cannot be right that people in Devon with hearing problems are restricted to a single hearing aid, while patients in other parts of the country will receive two.’