RCP report calls for improved obesity strategy

An improved government strategy is required if the NHS is to cope with the rising tide of obesity affecting the UK, according to the Royal College of Physicians (RCP).

The organisation's report revealed that around 25 percent of UK adults are obese, with estimates suggesting that the majority of Britain's population will fall into this category by 2050, making the country's obesity rate the second-worst in the world after the US.

It is estimated that the cost of dealing with the adverse consequences of obesity has ballooned to around 5 billion pounds per year, placing the NHS under extreme strain – an issue that has been exacerbated by a patchy approach to treating patients affected by the condition.

For example, the rate of hospital bariatric procedures, such as gastric banding, range from 0.4 per 100,000 in some primary care trusts to 41.3 per 100,000 in others, demonstrating the lack of a consistent treatment strategy.

Professor Nick Finer, co-author of the report, said: "We need to see improved leadership on obesity at every level, from the appointment of a lead physician in every trust to the creation of a cross- governmental role."

Earlier this month, the organisation said efforts will need to be made to restructure NHS services in order to meet targets for delivering improved seven-days-a-week services.