Obese Patients Need Exercise As NHS Trusts Deny Hip, Knee Surgery To Reduce The Budget?

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Exercise is good and now NHS trusts are making it mandatory for the obese patients who want hip and knee surgery. One suitable way to reduce health treatment cost.

Mail online reported that two health trusts in Cheshire have imposed this scheme to lower the treatment cost. The scheme clearly says that obese patients whose body mass index have exceeded 35 are not eligible for knee and hip surgery. Instead, they have to join the exercise classes or weight loss club.

 Currently, this scheme is active in South Cheshire and the Vale Royal Clinical Commissioning Groups in the North West. These two parts together cover 275,000 patients that include a good number of obese patients. Reports say that Vale Royal is facing a deficit of 3.5 million pounds, and the budget of South Cheshire is exceeded by 5 million pounds.

The Royal College of Surgeons has protested against this policy. This professional body has indicated that the scheme will stop the "life-changing surgery". Surgery is inevitable for many obese patients who suffer from acute pain and immobility.

Recently, managers of three West Midlands CCGs denied hip and knee surgery to some obese patients. The managers say that they are aiming to decrease the excessive spending on surgery. NHS looks after a huge number of hip and knee surgeries, and the number is almost 100,000 per year.

Health Service Journal reveals that the CCGs has sent a letter to GPs that discloses the actual fact. The letter clearly says that obese patients with BMI under 35 are eligible for knee and hip surgery. Now this BMI is equivalent to a 6ft man with 18 stone 6lb and a 5ft 6inch woman with 15 stone 10 lb.

Latinos Health previously reported that timing of food also can control weight. Now a clear difference is surfacing between the Royal College of Surgeons and the CCGS. The Royal College of Surgeons opines that this policy will prevent many obese patients from availing essential life changing surgery.

On the contrary, a spokesman for the CCGs explains that obese patients with exception can obviously avail surgery. The spokesman also utters that they want to promote exercise to ensure the well-being of the patients with good health. Now people have to wait some time to see the final aftermath of the scheme and the situation.

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