WIREDGOV

Commenting on today’s claims by UK bariatric surgeons that some obese patients are not getting access to the NHS weight-loss surgery they need as recommended by NICE, a NICE spokesperson said: “We must be clear that obesity is a killer. It causes serious medical conditions that can result in death. The NHS is currently spending billions of pounds treating obesity and the conditions it causes.  If, by recommending surgery for people who are morbidly obese that is, with a BMI >40kg/m², or between 35kg/m² and 40kg/m² if they also have other serious health conditions, NICE can help to reduce the number of morbidly obese people, we can also make cost savings for the NHS in the long run.

“The NICE guideline on the prevention, identification, assessment and management of overweight and obesity in adults and children is very clear that this treatment is only for people who are severely overweight, who are already receiving treatment in a specialist clinic and who have tried other treatments to lose weight in the past. It is important to stress that surgery to aid weight loss is not something that people enter into lightly. It is a radical procedure, with potentially serious side effects. It also requires a huge lifestyle change on the part of the individual undergoing surgery as well as a commitment to the need for long-term follow-up.

“It is in the interests of people who are morbidly obese that Trusts work towards offering weight loss surgery according to the recommendations in the NICE guidelines as quickly as possible so that there is consistent and fair access to this treatment in England and Wales.

“We would strongly urge the NHS to use the criteria set by the NICE guideline so that they can be confident they are working to evidence based standards. We are working to support local NHS bodies to put our guideline into practice and our local implementation consultants are available to offer support and advice to PCTs and Trusts on implementation issues. We have also produced a commissioning guide to help health professionals in England to commission an effective bariatric surgical service for the treatment of people with severe obesity.“

The NICE guideline and the commissioning guide are available from our website.