Obese patients and smokers banned from all routine operations by North Yorkshire hospital

Obese people will be routinely refused operations across the NHS, health service bosses have warned, after one authority said it would limit procedures on an unprecedented scale.



Hospital leaders in North Yorkshire said that patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or above – as well as smokers – will be barred from most surgery for up to a year amid increasingly desperate measures to plug a funding black hole. The restrictions will apply to standard hip and knee operations.

The decision, described by the Royal College of Surgeons as the “most severe the modern NHS has ever seen”, led to warnings that other trusts will soon be forced to follow suit and rationing become the norm if the current funding crisis continues.

Chris Hopson, the head of NHS Providers, which represents acute care, ambulance and community services, said: “I think we are going to see more and more decisions like this.

“It’s the only way providers are going to be able to balance their books, and in a way you have to applaud their honesty. You can see why they’re doing this – the service is bursting at the seams.”

The announcement is the latest in a series of setbacks for patients, who are facing rolling strikes by junior doctors that threaten to cripple the health service as winter approaches.

The decision by Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) comes amid increasing limits across the NHS on surgery for cataracts, and hip and knee operations.

Under the latest restrictions, patients in the catchment area who have a BMI of 30 or more will be barred from routine surgery for non-life-threatening conditions for a year, although they may secure a referral sooner if they shed 10 per cent of their weight.

Smokers who refuse to quit will have planned operations postponed for six months, but may be included on surgeons’ waiting lists earlier by proving they have given up for at least eight weeks.

The ban will not apply to cancer patients, or those with some conditions that could becoming life threatening, or if exceptional circumstances can be shown.

However, Clare Marx, president of the Royal College of Surgeons, condemned the decision to bar obese patients and smokers from routine surgery.

“This policy from Vale of York is among the most severe the modern NHS has ever seen,” she said.

“Leaving patients waiting in pain for treatment longer than is clinically necessary cannot be accepted. In the last month alone, the Royal College of Surgeons has learnt of at least three clinical commissioning groups that are planning to introduce policies that deny or delay patients’ access to surgery as a means to cut spending.

“At this rate we may see brutal service reductions becoming the norm, rather than just being exceptions.”

Its all over the UK they said a bit back they will not operate on obese or smokers on the news the other week not just Yorkshire.

Sounds like they want want a perfect race like some else once did.

Seems we all can nt win not so long ago people who do not visit their dictors in 5 years who must be healthy get struck off their list. I see this as a demise in the nhs as a whole.

If there is a medical reason for this I have no objection.

However, if it's purely down to saving money I find it a bit off.

Will those refused treatment be given their NI subscriptions back? And why no mention of alcoholics?

They operated on me I had to stay awake as I can nt have anesthetic and I smoke recently Yorkshire wanted to operate on my eldest daughter she would be classed as obese also a smoker but she refused the operation.