HEALTH bosses in East Lancashire have drafted in expertise from the Midlands to deal with morbidly obese patients.

NHS England has recently delegated responsibility for providing bariatric surgery to the likes of East Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

But the Nelson-based CCG, which covers Burnley, Pendle, Hyndburn, Rossendale and Ribble Valley, was told by its current provider earlier this year that it would not be seeking a renewal of a deal to provide gastric bands, stomach bypasses and similar procedures.

In a report to the CCG’s governing body, administration manager Anne MacLeod said: “Following discussion with commissioners and contracting colleagues, the chiefofficer (Mark Youlton) agreed that the CCG become an associate to a 12-month rolling contract with the University of North Midlands NHS Trust.”

Under a new deal, alongside the services offered by the Stoke-based trust, the CCG has also reached agreement with Calderdale and Kirklees NHS Trust, to offer similar surgeries and provide more choice for patients.

Bariatric surgery is considered when all other treatments, including lifestyle changes, have been discounted and a patient’s obesity is putting their health at risk.

The decision comes after the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) claimed that nationally there was evidence of bariatric operations being “rationed” in favour of more routine knee and hip surgery by commissioners.

In 2012-13 there were 5.192 such operations, compared to 5,056 by 2015-165, according to the National Bariatric Surgery Register.

A RCS spokesman said: “These procedures moderate patients’ appetite and stimulate metabolism to cause substantial and sustained weight loss.

“They have proven to be effective, safe and cost effective in numerous scientific comparisons against any other treatment.”