No surgery for smokers or obese

Some NHS trusts are restricting surgery for smokers and the obese .

Is this right ?

https://www.theguardian.com/commenti...ing-healthcare

Re: No surgery for smokers or obese

It refers to .non urgent' surgery and I am certain they would not turn away an urgent case - but is this the thin edge of the wedge?

I can actually see both sides of the argument here. Historically the NHS was created to provide access to care from 'cradle to grave' - but I still believe that people should be more responsible for their own health.

With smokers there are often respiratory problems that may be exacerbated by general anaesthetics and with the obese there is the strain on the heart to be considered as well.

Trying to perform a surgical procedure through layers of adipose tissue is no easy task and can take longer than it would for someone slimmer - therefore the patient would be more at risk.

Re: No surgery for smokers or obese

Hi

Smokers pay vast amounts of tax, more than enough to pay any costs to the NHS.

The obese do not and cost far more to treat.

Bariatric beds costs £30k, a huge amount.

Nurse Grumpy Guts, who I will be unfortunately back to seeing again on Friday, would define obesity in women as anything above a size 8 or in a man, anything above a 34 inch waist.

Re: No surgery for smokers or obese

Obese pay tax I'm not sure where the idea they don't comes from, our clothes and food are taxed, we probably pay more for petrol etc as we aren't dashing round the streets on our feet.

But I'd say they are stupid doing this my husband gradually put on weight because of knee pain, pain he got because he worked so hard when he was younger he wore out his knee. So when he needed surgery they wouldn't do it until he lost weight, by time he had they said he'd waited far too long for surgery and needed a complete knee replacement not the small cushion renewal they had planned. Surgeon was furious it cost multiple times what it should have done and he was willing to do it earlier to avoid the cost but hospital manager had this artificial limit. Since he's had no pain he's worked harder and lost loads of weight.


My mum was a smoker, had various operations on her heart because of her smoking left hospital and smoked all the way home and forever.

Obesity can be improved by helping a person get mobile, smokers are often not willing to put down that cigarette even after expensive surgery.

Re: No surgery for smokers or obese

Not sure what program it was on but there was a man on TV last night who had bariactic surgery and lost a lot of weight.
Before the procedure he was diabetic and waiting for knee replacement. Both conditions costing the NHS large amounts of money and probably other related conditions in the future. He is now free of the diabetes and no longer needs any other surgery. It may have been a self inflicted condition but the results must be cost effective and saving hospital bed space in the future.
As to smokers then that is another story.

Re: No surgery for smokers or obese

I would like to see her say that to me and walk away without feeling the need to apologize! Back in the 60's Twiggy was a size 10 and I hardly think she would have been considered obese!
The only problem with over eating, drinking and smoking is that....

American junk food has been sold here.... because the UK makes money from allowing them to. American portion sizes have also contributed to this problem! Some of these companies are also good at tax avoidance... so we don't even make much money from them!

Alcohol has become a way to make people happy, so they drink to excess but won't admit it. Hence... high calories that make them fatter and a good way for the UK to make money by increasing the tax on alcohol.

Smoking has been known to be dangerous to health for at least 50 years, but until recently the UK have done nothing to prevent people smoking... probably because the tax revenue was so good!

If we had put more time and effort into education people about these dangers, we would be justified in refusing care to those who took no notice.
With all the drugs that youngsters are taking these days, I suspect that also costs a lot of money for the NHS.... but, as always, Governments ( of all parties) don't act fast enough and sick people, who have looked after their health, still suffer because there is not enough money to cure everybody!

Bad habits, poor health and taxes are a vicious circle that no government has shown an ability to control!

Re: No surgery for smokers or obese

Yet in the other camp, they are about to increase resources on mental health , much of which has been self induced.

So are they also to deny drug users treatment too, for their psychotic behaviour which is also voluntary ? There are a lot of them.

It's a slippery slope.

Re: No surgery for smokers or obese

I wonder if this will exclude fat smoking health tourists?

Re: No surgery for smokers or obese

I agree with all previous comments. My point is that individuals need to take more responsibility for their own health. There is so much information everywhere about keeping healthy that I think it's unfair to say that folk need to be educated more on this point. Unfortunately, alcohol consumption is a huge problem in England, I am always troubled when I return home to see how much alcohol intake is incorporated into everyday life.

Re: No surgery for smokers or obese

4 yrs ago,my arterys in my legs stopped working,blocked up,was told,pack up smokeing and we will work on them,or carry on smokeing and loose a leg.stopped there and then,in 3 months was in and stents put in my legs after arterys cleaned.
so it aint a new idea