One in six integrated care boards (ICBs) in England have stopped accepting new patients for specialist weight management services as their referral numbers spiral out of control, an investigation by The BMJ has found. ICBs are responsible for planning health services for their local population. At least seven out of 42 ICBs across the country—covering Manchester, Bristol, Suffolk, Leicester, Essex, and much of Yorkshire—have had to close a specialist (tier 3) weight management service list in their area, with many warning that demand is far exceeding capacity, reports Elisabeth Mahase.
Experts have said the rise in obesity and the demand for weight-loss injections may be fueling the increase in referrals, but they blame a lack of consistent government policy for hindering the ability of weight management services to keep up with the growing demand. Across England, over two-thirds (64%) of adults are estimated to be overweight or obese. But in April 2022, the government pulled its £100m (€121m; $131m) funding grant for weight management services in England, just a year after it was announced.
Nerys Astbury, associate professor of diet and obesity at the University of Oxford, described the availability of specialist weight management services as "unequal and very limited, or completely absent in some regions." She told The BMJ that even where services do exist, "they are over-subscribed, waiting lists have been capped, or budgetary limitations mean services are at risk o.
