Access to NHS weight loss surgery shouldn’t be ‘postcode lottery’, claims law firm
Law firm claims Lincolnshire is a ‘desert’ for accessing NHS weight loss surgery.
A law firm claims patients living in Boston and wider Lincolnshire face one of the longest average trips in the country to receive health service weight loss surgery.
The firms says that according to data provided from the NHS as part of their National Obesity Audit, more than 140 patients living in the areas covered by the Lincolnshire Community Health Services and United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trusts as well as the Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, have been required to travel outside of the area to receive access to NHS-provided weight loss surgical treatments since the 2021/22 financial year.
In the 2024/25 financial year, patients living in this area – which fell under the Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board - had to travel on average 61.5 miles to receive bariatric surgical treatment through the NHS – the second worst nationally when compared to the wider 42 integrated care boards in England.
Surrounding ICB’s were also above the national average of 24km for travel, with Norfolk and Waveney (157km) the worst in England while Cambridge and Peterborough (81km) was in the top five. There were more than 6,900 weight loss surgeries via the NHS across the 2024/25 year in England, an increase of more than 1,400 from the previous financial year.
Richard Coleman, partner at RWK Goodman, said: “The figures shown through the NHS’ own data shows that for many patients in Lincolnshire, it is a desert when it comes to easily accessing public weight loss surgical care.
“With some patients needing to travel up to 60 miles for NHS surgery, people are left forced to go down the private practice route, which can be prohibitively expensive as well as provide additional local healthcare pressures should anything go wrong in terms of complications; meaning this ultimately comes back into the arms of the NHS and the taxpayer to deal with.
“The NHS is under immeasurable pressure and patients need to be pulled back to the heart of the entire system to ensure that they are receiving the world-class care that the NHS can provide across the board. Investment in services which can reduce overall travel, especially for significant surgeries such as weight loss ones, can go a long way to closing that gap.
“I hope that with the area’s ICB forming part of a wider cluster arrangement with Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire there can be further discussions aimed at aligning strategies to minimise travel time for patients and ensuring they have access to local services to ensure best outcomes.”
A NHS Lincolnshire ICB spokesperson responded: "We recognise that geographical access can be a challenge in a large rural county such as Lincolnshire and that some patients requiring specialist bariatric surgery may need to travel outside the county to access treatment. Bariatric surgery forms only one part of a wider obesity pathway which the ICB currently commission.
"NHS Lincolnshire ICB continues to work with partners to improve access to evidence-based weight management support, including prevention services, behavioural support, community-based interventions and specialist weight management pathways.
"Through programmes such as One You Lincolnshire and the Obesity Pathway Innovation Programme (OPIP), we are working to improve access to services, reduce health inequalities and support people to access care closer to home wherever possible.
"Our focus remains on ensuring that Lincolnshire residents can access safe, effective and appropriate support throughout the entire weight management pathway."