Increase in Bariatric Patients Puts Pressure on the Ambulance Services

Thursday, 18th May 2017

Ambulance services across England have spent hundreds of thousands of pounds to ensure vehicles can cope with a growing number of obese patients. The number of admissions of bariatric patients has increased from 52,000 in 2006 to 520,000 in 2016 and ambulances are being specially-designed and equipped to transport obese patients to hospital. The north west had the highest number of obesity-related admissions in 2016, with their Ambulance Service dealing with 78,000 cases. They have spent £184,000 on specialist equipment since 2015. and now run a fleet of eight ambulances that have been adapted to transport bariatric patients.

Commenting on these latest figures Richard Webber, from the College of Paramedics, said investment was crucial across the country for both patients and staff. He added "The retirement age is now 67 for paramedics and ambulance service staff. That's pretty hard, to be working carrying patients up and down stairs at that age, and patients are getting heavier." Former ambulance technician Rob Shaw said he had to regularly deal with patients weighing more than 30 stone (190.5kg). He said "When someone is in front of you, taking their last breaths, you've got to do something. There's no time for warm up exercises, you're putting your body under a lot of stress."

The Department of Health said it spends more each year on the treatment of obesity related ill-health - a total of £5.1 billion in 2014/15 - than the government does on "the police, fire service and judicial system combined". Tam Fry, of the National Obesity Forum, said "For years governments have not taken enough interest in what's happening with the population's weight, they haven't prepared for it.You can't expect a very overweight person, who is very poor even, to pay for that kind of service.That's the sort of service the NHS was set up to cope with."