Obese patients in Lothian to be offered stomach surgery

MORBIDLY obese patients are set to be offered weight-loss surgery on the NHS in the Lothians for the first time.

Health chiefs are currently compiling a list of people who are suitable for the gastric band procedure.

It will not be offered for cosmetic reasons – unlike some private practices – but will if the patient is so overweight they risk diabetes, heart or kidney problems.

The operation is a surgical procedure that involves fitting a band around the upper part of the stomach, making the patient feel full and less likely to want to eat.

The move has been welcomed by the Scottish Patients Association, as long as it is only offered to the most in need.

Dr Jean Turner, chief executive of the association, said: "There will be very few people who fit the criteria but it may well be life-saving to help them lose weight.

"There are obviously people who find it extremely difficult to get their weight down for one reason or another.

"If everyone could have a personal trainer and the psychological help needed to get their weight down, that would be wonderful. But there would still be a few people who cannot do it, and if they carry on increasing their weight they could end up endangering their lives."

Chris Oliver, a specialist trauma and orthopaedic surgeon at the ERI, chose to have gastric band surgery privately after tipping the scales at 26 stone. He expects his colleagues to be inundated with GP referrals now that the procedure is available at the ERI.

Mr Oliver, who has lost nearly eight stones since the operation, said the procedure had changed his life.

"The thing is you have got to use it to change your life, he said.

"There must be thousands of people in the Lothians who could benefit from this.

"I was fortunate enough that I could afford private surgery – a lot of people cannot."

Jackie Sansbury, NHS Lothian's director of strategic planning and modernisation, said staff were in the "early stages" of assessing patients for surgery.

"It will form part of a pathway of care, starting with weight management advice to encourage people to lose the weight through exercise and healthy eating, rather than through surgery.

"This will not be offered as an easy solution to weight loss and will only be offered as a last resort to people who have exhausted all other options."