The Vale of York has been granted permission this week by NHS England to put fat people and smokers to the back of the queue for operations. Starting in January, their treatments will be delayed a year; the obese must lose 10% of their body weight, and smokers give up for at least two months.
The Royal College of Surgeons says it is “very disappointed that NHS England and No 10 seem to be backing this arbitrary policy”.
It’s always good advice to live healthily, but this crosses a new red line.
Oh, well, stopped clocks and all that. Still, nice to see a Guardianista getting it right for once.
If I was a fat smoker I would demand a refund of every penny that I have contributed toward the NHS over the last four decades and pay for my own healthcare out of what was left after I had bought a fifteen bedroomed mansion and an Aston Martin.
On a more serious note, I am absolutely disgusted by this. I find it difficult to find words strong enough to express my contempt for the people who think that this is a good idea.
It’s more that any treatments given may be less (or completely) ineffective if the patient continues with activity that caused the problem in the first place. With a health service struggling the ability for them to say that treatment may be withheld until the patient shows some ability to benefit from it is probably a good one as patients will be encouraged to try to help themselves. I also wonder quite how many fat smokers will be turned away, I suspect very few.
If that was the case, I don’t think anyone would seriously object. However, that isn’t what has been suggested; rather a blanket statement about losing weight and giving up smoking with no relevance to the procedure.
A few years ago I required surgery which had nothing to do with smoking. A doctor wanted to deny me surgery for an actual problem which produced agonizing pain which would only get worse if surgery weren’t performed rather than run the risk of my suffering a possible side effect. These people are either evil or mad.
The Vale of York story ran a few months ago. Almost immediately the proposal was reported as, quite properly, having been withdrawn. If anyone tries in the future to deny me medical treatment on the grounds that I’m less deserving as a smoker/overweight/ like a small sherry before dinner/any other behaviour that they’ve decided to demonise to try and save money whilst they piss money up the wall on people who are paid to produce reports that the NHS has no money, I’ll create merry hell.
(BTW the surgery went ahead- the doctor and I had what is politely called “a frank discussion”,)
That’s why I go private…
The problem with that is that you end up paying twice. In a sane world if you opted not to avail yourself of the services of the NHS, you would not be expected to contribute towards it.
‘the obese must lose 10% of their body weight’
Lop off a limb, should do the trick.
Paying taxes, part of which goes towards the NHS, is making an advance towards services you may require in the future. To then refuse that service, for whatever reason, is a breach of contract, whether or not that contract is verbal, written, or implied. If I were told that medical treatment was going to be withheld because I failed to conform to a politically motivated ideal, I would ascertain the cost of that treatment from a private clinic and then, depending on that cost, would either sue the person refusing the treatment for that amount, plus 20% for suffering and stress, or take that person to the small claims court. Not the hospital, as they would use public funds to fight the case, but the individual concerned.
She’s just mad this is being suggested under a (nominally) Conservative government. If proposed under a Labour one, we’d not hear a peep out of her.
Indeed. However, the cognitive dissonance is nice to observe.