The plans, which will also see cuts in IVF provision and provision of medicines, also provoked anger from the Local Pharmaceutical Committee, who said: “Those who can afford services will buy them and those who cannot will go without.”
The CCGs said: “This policy is designed to improve patient safety and outcomes, both during and immediately after non-urgent surgery. No financial savings are expected as a result of these measures. We do however hope to improve the long-term health of our residents through the targeted stop-smoking and weight-loss support on offer to patients.”
Joyce Robins, from Patient Concern, said: “This is absolutely disgraceful – we all pay our taxes, and the NHS should be there when we need it; we did not agree to a two-tier system.”
The CCGs already delay surgery for up to nine months for those with a high BMI, telling them to lose at least 10 per cent of their weight.
The new rules increase the amount of weight the heaviest patients must lose – and crucially, they mean those who fail to lose weight or give up smoking could wait indefinitely.
The restrictions mean those with a Body Mass Index of 30 or more will be set targets to reduce their weight by 10 per cent over nine months, with those with a BMI over 40 will be told to cut their weight by 15 per cent.
At the end of the nine months, any patient who failed to lose enough weight will have their circumstances “considered by a clinical panel” a spokeswoman said.
Those who have not lost enough weight could be left waiting indefinitely, she confirmed.
The CCGs said: “In exceptional circumstances, clinicians will allow surgery to go ahead even if the smoking and weight loss criteria are not met. Exceptions would be made when waiting for surgery would be more harmful for the patient.”
Around 15 per cent of their population smoke, while 22 per cent of adults are obese, the report estimates.
In a consultation on the changes, the health bodies said they faced a £550m health and social care funding gap by 2021 unless they took action.
In a forward to the consultation outcomes paper, the CCGs’ chief executives said the region faced a £550m health and social care funding gap by 2021 unless they took action.
The CCGs said the decisions had not been taken lightly, and that there had been public backing for most of the changes, during a public consultation.
