THE scale of East Lancashire’s weight problem is laid bare by new figures revealing the number of obesity-related hospital admissions.

Obesity was a factor on 2,924 occasions in 2016/17 when people from Blackburn with Darwen were admitted to hospitals, a 25 per cent rise from the previous year which saw 2,287 admissions.

There was also a rise in the East Lancashire CCG area, which saw 6,950 obesity-related admissions in 2016/17, compared to 5,454 in 2015/16.

Figures from NHS Digital relate to hospital admissions with a primary or secondary diagnosis of obesity.

Primary diagnoses are those requiring weight-loss treatment, while secondary ones involve treatment for related conditions like hip problems and heart attacks.

Dr Paul Fourie, of Witton Medical Centre, Blackburn said obesity and diabetes was a ‘national epidemic’.

He said: “Certainly from a GP point of view, we’re looking a lot at education and raising awareness of a healthy lifestyle.

“The population is living longer and more people are getting older and are bigger with more heart disease and diabetes which means more hospital admissions.

“GPs are being encouraged to do checks on people such as blood tests to catch diabetes before it becomes a problem.

“Obesity and diabetes is a national epidemic.”

Russ McLean, East Lancashire’s patients’ champion, described the figures as ‘very worrying’.

He said: “This will increase pressure on our already stretched health service.

“I think we need to take a long hard look at the the lifestyles we lead and try and make healthier choices.”

Dr Kailash Chand, BMA North West regional council chair, said: “As is often the case, prevention is the best solution but efforts to tackle obesity are being undermined by cuts to public health services, which have included cuts to children’s and adult’s obesity services.

Dr Rebecca Wagstaff, deputy director of Public Health England North West, said: “These figures show obesity and its associated health risks remain a significant challenge across the North West. PHE is working with industry and local partners to make food healthier, we’ve produced guidance for councils on planning healthier towns and we’re delivering campaigns encouraging people to choose healthier food and lead healthier lives.”