NHS squanders millions on fat surgery

In less than a decade there has been a 15-fold rise in obese patients going under the knife, with 4,246 operations carried out in 2008 alone.

The news comes as vital cancer drugs are being denied to sufferers on cost grounds. Experts are warning that the operations, which include gastric banding and gastric bypasses, are starting to be seen as an easy way for patients to dodge dieting and exercise.

They said figures would rise even further unless the Government invested more money into educating young people about lifestyle and food.

And there are fears that some patients who are just below this threshold but who are ­desperate for surgery may actively try to gain weight so they qualify for a free operation.

Tam Fry, from the National Obesity Forum, said there was real concern now that the operation was being used as a way to solve Britain’s obesity epidemic.

“This is seen as a quick-fix solution,” he said. “It is the inevitable consequence because surgery is a cost-effective solution to a problem rather than putting patients through years of trying to diet and exercise.”

Others condemned the spending when sufferers are being denied vital cancer drugs on the grounds of cost. Earlier this week “super drug” Avastin was barred from being prescribed to those with bowel cancer by health watchdog Nice.

Matthew Sinclair, research director at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “So much is being spent on surgery for the obese instead of on treatment for ­unavoidable diseases. Cancer patients are missing out on vital drugs because of cost. There has to be more individual responsibilty over obesity.”

Demand for operations soared after high-profile stars including Fern Britton admitted having gastric bands fitted. The TV presenter lost five stones and dropped from a size 22 to a 16 after private treatment in 2008.

The latest figures released by the NHS Information Centre yesterday came as a separate study looked into bariatric – weight-loss – surgery on the NHS. The research, published in the British Medical Journal, online, said the “exponential” rise in obesity surgery was partly driven by patients becoming aware that the NHS now offers the operation free.

The NHS is expected soon to release data revealing the number of operations has risen even higher since 2008.

According to official guidelines, patients should be offered obesity surgery only if they have a body mass index of 35 or over and are at risk of serious conditions such as diabetes and cannot lose weight by themselves.

Estimates suggest bariatric surgery can cost up to £7,000. This means the NHS could be spending up to £29million a year on operations for obese patients.

This is less than the ongoing cost of the other health problems very obese patients develop and the cost of sending them to endless weight-loss classes. The new study shows that surgery is used mainly on women, usually from poorer backgrounds.

Omar Faiz, a gastrointestinal surgeon from St Mary’s Hospital in London who led the research, wrote: “As patients become more aware of surgery as a ­viable option, demand among morbidly obese patients increases.”

Harry MacMillan, chief executive of MEND, which provides free weight-management programmes, said weight-loss surgery “should be a last resort” and added that the dramatic rise in numbers having weight-loss surgery was “shocking”.

Health Minister Paul Burstow said last night: “Our ambition is to encourage healthier lifestyles and reduce the need for this type of treatment.”