NHS group demanding patients quit smoking or lose weight before an operation

October 7, 2016

NHS Harrogate and Rural District Clinical Commissioning Group is proposing it as part of plans to save £8.4 million
Smokers and patients with BMI of 30+ will be offered health programmes
Royal College of Surgeons said targeting patient groups is ‘wrong’

Kate Pickles For Mailonline

Published:
19:20 EST, 6 October 2016

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Updated:
09:09 EST, 7 October 2016

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Obese patients and smokers are to be denied operations and referred to a health programme for six months under cost-cutting plans by a health group.

NHS Harrogate and Rural District Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has come up with controversial move as part of plans to save £8.4 million, despite warnings from senior surgeons it is ‘wrong’.

Smokers and patients with a BMI of 30 and over will be offered a referral to either a weight management programme or stop smoking service for a six-month period of health optimisation before being considered for surgery.

In September, NHS England intervened to stop neighbouring NHS Vale of York CCG from imposing a similar policy after the Royal College of Surgeons raised concerns that proposals went against clinical guidance.

NHS Harrogate and Rural District Clinical Commissioning Group will deny smokers and obese patients surgery for a six-month period to give them chance to lose weight or quit

St Helens CCG was also recently forced to abandon plans to save money by stopping all non-urgent referrals for four months.

Ian Eardley, vice president of the Royal College of Surgeons, said the policy would cause public outcry.

‘The policies for smokers and overweight patients that Harrogate and Rural District CCG intend to impose ignore the public outcry that surrounded similar plans announced by neighbouring Vale of York CCG in September,’ he said.

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‘They fly in the face of the intervention made by NHS England to prevent those plans from going ahead.

‘The Royal College of Surgeons is very supportive of encouraging patients to join programmes that help them lose weight or stop smoking before surgery.

‘However making it a condition of receiving that surgery, no matter how sick they are or how much pain they are in, is wrong.

‘NHS England has already said that denying operations to a particular group – such as smokers – is ”inconsistent” with the NHS constitution.’

Patients needing non-urgent care would be referred to stop smoking services or weight management programmes for 6 months before being considered for surgery, under the plans

He said singling out specific patient groups in a bid to make cost savings was not right, even in the challenging times.

‘We hope NHS England will now step in to prevent Harrogate and any other CGGs from targeting patients in this way.’

The CCG’s chief officer Amanda Bloor said the CCG had undertaken a thorough review of all the services it commissions based on clinical evidence to support the decision making process.

‘I feel the measures we are taking encourage patients to take a greater responsibility for their lifestyle choices,’ she said.

‘It is vital that patients are given the skills and knowledge to take accountability for their own wellbeing to ensure we all lead healthier lifestyles.

‘The CCG are not saying patients can’t have the surgery. By introducing a six-month health optimisation period, we are encouraging and supporting patients to undertake a lifestyle change which will provide them with the best possible clinical outcome.’

She said the NHS spends around £9bn a year on patient care for those living with diabetes.

Spending on obesity related ill-health and smoking related illness are increasing year on year.

The BMI and smoking policy will not apply to certain groups such as patients undergoing surgery for cancer, children and f rail elderly people.