Press association 20/02/08

Many obesity units are refusing obesity surgery for patients on the grounds of cost, a survey has shown.

The study found that hospitals and primary care trusts have seen a 650% rise in referrals for surgery from doctors over the past five years.

Six out of 10 consultants approached at 20 hospital trusts across England said they were not sufficiently resourced to cope with the huge rise in demand.

The survey of 20 specialist obesity units was carried out by Pulse magazine. Half (52%) of consultants said their units were forced to bounce referrals back to GPs after refusing surgery for patients.

20 February 2008 Swansea Evening Post
Obesity services in Wales are among the worst in the country, a Swansea surgeon has claimed. Professor John Baxter was responding to a study which has found many obesity units are refusing surgery for patients on the grounds of cost.

The study found that hospitals and primary care trusts had seen a 650 per cent rise in patients being referred for surgery over the past five years.

Six out of 10 consultants approached at 20 hospital trusts across England said they were not given the resources to cope with the huge rise in demand.

By Rebecca Smith, Medical Editor- Daily Telegraph
Last Updated: 1:55am GMT 04/02/2008
More than one million prescriptions are being written for obesity drugs costing £47m a year while others are denied medication for cancer, it has been revealed.
The NHS bill for obesity drugs could pay for a new children’s hospital every two years.

Meanwhile women with advanced breast cancer are being denied Avastin because it has not yet been evaluated for use on the NHS.

The drug has already been turned down for use in advanced colorectal cancer because it is not cost effective.

The Hospital Group are one of the first medical organizations to provide what are referred to as “balloon implants” - a new revolutionary weight loss treatment, ignored by the NHS, which could save thousands suffering from the effects of obesity and its associated diseases.

The Hospital Group, the UK’s leading provider of weight loss surgery, are set to insert silicone balloons into the stomachs of people who are over weight with a BMI of 30+ - making them eat less, feel full and re-learn eating habits over a period of six months.

Friday, February 08, 2008

By Victoria O’Hara - Belfast Telegraph
An Ulster woman last night said she was left devastated after being told - on the very day of the life-changing surgery she had waited months for - that it was only performed in England.

The woman, who is from the Antrim area, had her bags packed ready to undergo bariatric surgery - an elaborate procedure designed to promote weight loss - in the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast on Wednesday.

She had been preparing for almost four months after receiving a date for the operation in October.

11/02/2008 Daily Mirror 11/02/08
The NHS is facing a “perfect storm” of rising obesity, an ageing population and higher cost of drugs, a report warned last night.

Independent thinktank Reform said in its study that unless big changes are made the public will get worse treatment for more money.

It claimed: “Research points to a ‘perfect storm’ of rising demand.”

The think-tank argues that by 2031 obesity will be rife and there will be a third more adults of pension age. The Government is “in denial” and the remedy would be to allow in more private companies.

By DENISE GRADY New York Times
Published: January 23, 2008
Weight-loss surgery works much better than standard medical therapy as a treatment for Type 2 diabetes in obese people, the first study to compare the two approaches has found.

The study, of 60 patients, showed that 73 percent of those who had surgery had complete remissions of diabetes, meaning all signs of the disease went away. By contrast, the remission rate was only 13 percent in those given conventional treatment, which included intensive counseling on diet and exercise for weight loss, and, when needed, diabetes medicines like insulin, metformin and other drugs.

13 Feb 2008 - www.lookinggood-feelinggreat.co.uk
The perception of undergoing liposuction as an instant measure to lose weight is a “common misconception”, according to independent consumer advice portal Looking Good BuyAssociation.

Liposuction is intended for people who have unevenly distributed fat deposits on parts of the body including the stomach, thighs, buttocks and arms that diet and exercise alone cannot remove.

Felicity Quigley, editor of Looking Good BuyAssociation, said: “The thing about liposuction is that, number one, it doesn’t actually reduce cellulite… the best candidates for liposuction are people who have actually tried diet and exercise, have tried to shift pockets of fat that they can’t get rid of, and it’s about getting rid of it that way; it’s not about losing weight.”

The Scotsman 04/02/08

RECORD numbers of people across the UK are going under the knife, according to new figures which show a large increase in plastic-surgery procedures.

The figures, released by the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (Baaps), show the stigma of “having some work done” is falling away.

Some 32,453 people chose to have cosmetic surgery last year, an increase of 12 per cent on 2006, when 28,921 procedures were carried out.

Facelifts are becoming ever more popular according to data, with 4,238 women opting for the procedure last year, a rise of 37 per cent on 2006.