Obesity: Integrated care boards close lists for weight management services as demand skyrockets | The BMJ

One specialist obesity service in England reached its three year quota of patients in less than 17 weeks. The next government must take note, reports Elisabeth Mahase One in six integrated care boards (ICBs) in England has stopped accepting new patients for specialist weight management services as referral numbers spiral out of control, a BMJ investigation has found. At least seven of 42 ICBs around the country—covering Manchester, Bristol, Suffolk, Leicester, Essex, and much of Yorkshire—have had to close a tier 3 weight management service list in their area, with many warning that demand far exceeds capacity. Tier 3 services involve multidisciplinary teams—including physicians, physiotherapists, dietitians, and mental health specialists—to support patients, sometimes providing access to weight loss drugs such as semaglutide. The rise in obesity and the demand for weight loss injection pens may be fuelling the increase in referrals, experts have said. But they blame a lack of consiste

One specialist obesity service in England reached its three year quota of patients in less than 17 weeks. The next government must take note, reports Elisabeth Mahase One in six integrated care boards (ICBs) in England has stopped accepting new patients for specialist weight management services as referral numbers spiral out of control, a BMJ investigation has found. At least seven of 42 ICBs around the country—covering Manchester, Bristol, Suffolk, Leicester, Essex, and much of Yorkshire—have had to close a tier 3 weight management service list in their area, with many warning that demand far