Obesity treatments restricted by cash poor local services

Many patients living with obesity cannot get the specialist drugs or surgery they need because treatments are being restricted by cash poor local services, an investigation by The BMJ has found.

Patients in nearly half the country can’t get appointments with specialist teams for weight loss support and care, including treatment with drugs such as semaglutide. And in nearly one in five local health areas, patients don’t have access to a bariatric surgery service, reports Elisabeth Mahase.

The government estimates that obesity costs the NHS in England around £6.5bn a year and is the second biggest preventable cause of cancer, after smoking.

Yet obesity specialists claim services for weight management in England are often the first to be cut when budgets are tight. Patients are also often the victims of prejudice, including among some health professionals, who believe they are less worthy of care than other patients.

Only around 5,000 NHS bariatric procedures are carried out in England each year, compared with 50,000 in France), despite being considered the most clinically- and cost-effective treatment for obesity.

NHS England said the NHS is working with the Department of Health to ‘support improvements in the obesity pathway.’

Mahase E. BMJ 2024;386:q1950