NHS spends hundreds of thousands on obesity ambulances
Fleet of bariatric vehicles grows to accommodate tenfold growth in number of weight-related hospital admissions
Customised ambulances to transport England's growing number of obese patients have cost the NHS hundreds of thousands of pounds.
The vehicles have been specially adapted to carry patients who weigh between 50st and 70st following a tenfold increase in the number of weight-related hospital admissions over the last ten years, says the BBC. A Freedom of Information request revealed there were 520,000 admissions last year, up from 52,000 in 2006.
Hundreds of existing ambulances have been adapted so they are suitable to transport morbidly obese patients, while dozens of new bariatric vehicles have been added to fleets around the country. The customised vehicles are reinforced to bear the extra weight and often fitted with hoists and lifts to enable paramedics to move their charges.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In north-west England, where 78,000 patients were admitted for obesity-related issues in 2016, the regional ambulance service has spent £184,000 fitting out eight special vehicles.
All 420 ambulances in the West Midlands are now bariatric capable, the BBC adds, with eight specialist vehicles already in use and seven more on the way, at a cost of £114,000, while the East of England Ambulance Service has spent £432,000 on eight adapted vehicles and 16 bariatric stretchers.
Paramedic organisations said the investment was vital for the safety of workers.
Richard Webber, from the College of Paramedics, told the BBC that with the retirement age now 67 for ambulance service staff, adequate support was more crucial than ever.
He added: "That's pretty hard, to be working carrying patients up and down stairs at that age, and patients are getting heavier."
According to the latest government statistics, 58 per cent of women and 68 per cent of men in England are classified as overweight or obese.
Britain's heaviest-ever man, Paul Mason, reached a peak weight of 69st 13lb before having a gastric band fitted and shedding almost 50st.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Will Donald Trump wreck the Brexit deal?
Today's Big Question President-elect's victory could help UK's reset with the EU, but a free-trade agreement with the US to dodge his threatened tariffs could hinder it
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Marine Le Pen's fake jobs trial
The Explainer The far-right French leader could face a fine, jail time, and a five-year ban from public office if found guilty of embezzlement
By Abby Wilson Published
-
How to earn extra cash for Christmas
The Explainer The holiday season can be expensive but there are ways to bolster your festive finances
By Marc Shoffman, The Week UK Published
-
A 'transformative' gene therapy for haemophilia B
The Explainer Costly treatment that could be 'truly life-changing' for patients with rare blood disorder gets funding boost
By Julia O'Driscoll, The Week UK Published
-
Infected blood scandal: will justice be served?
Today's Big Question Government apologises for 'decades-long moral failure' and promises £10bn compensation but true accountability may take far longer
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Ozempic babies: a surprise side effect of weight loss drugs
under the radar Murmurs of unexpected pregnancies while taking semaglutide-based drugs are growing on social media
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Immunotherapy and hay fever
The Explainer Research shows that the treatment could provide significant relief from symptoms for many hay fever sufferers
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
The pros and cons of universal health care
Pros and Cons A medical system that serves everyone comes with its own costs, and they're not only financial
By Rebecca Messina, The Week UK Last updated
-
Martha's Rule: patients given right to urgent second opinion
The Explainer Hospitals in England will launch new scheme that will allow access to a rapid treatment review
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
The contaminated blood scandal
The Explainer Widely regarded as the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS, the public inquiry is due to publish its report in May
By The Week UK Published
-
Can Britain's dental crisis be fixed?
The Explainer New proposals include more money for dentists working in under-served areas
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published