Obesity cases almost treble in five years in Black Country and Staffordshire
Thousands of people are being treated on the NHS for obesity-related conditions in the Black Country and Staffordshire, with cases almost trebling in the last five years.
New figures showed the number of people being admitted to hospital with conditions linked to obesity has soared, piling pressure on the crisis-hit NHS where waiting times are at record levels.
More than 22,000 people were treated at Black Country hospitals where "obesity was a factor" during 2017/18 compared to nearly 9,000 in 2013/14, data from NHS Digital showed. In Staffordshire the total has risen from 4,800 to 18,000.
Cases have risen sharply in all areas. During 2017/18 there were 6,440 in Wolverhampton, 6,680 in Dudley, 3,910 in Sandwell and 5,285 in Walsall.
Over the same 12-month period there were 235 hospital admissions directly attributed to obesity in the Black Country, up from 155 four years earlier. Cases more than doubled in Staffordshire, from 70 to 160.
The data also showed how many people had received bariatric surgery, which can include fitting a gastric band, to reduce their weight on the NHS.
Some 150 people had the procedure in 2017/18 in the Black Country and another 135 in Staffordshire. This was up from 90 in the Black Country and 55 in Staffordshire in 2013/14.
Experts say the figures show there is an obesity crisis in the West Midlands. It was revealed earlier this year that children in the Black Country were among the fattest in the UK, with around a quarter classed as obese.
It is part of a problem across the country. Statistics show the number of obese patients admitted in England has jumped from 884,000 in 2017/18 to almost 1.1million last year.
The burden has also doubled in just five years, with 442,000 cases in 2013/14. Simon Stevens, head of NHS England, described the trend as 'startling'.
Councillor Marco Longhi, health boss at Walsall Council, said people with conditions related to obesity were adding to the pressure on the NHS and said the key was convincing as many as possible to change their lifestyles. He also called on more councils to make bold decision on fast-food outlets.
He said: "It's about looking at when we decide on planning applications for fast-food outlets or looking at fast-food outlets near schools or where a lot of people congregate, clearly fast food is quite often an unhealthy choice. All we are doing by allowing these is making it easy for people to make the right choice rather than the right choice.
"We seem to have developed a culture of sticking a ready meal in the microwave because it's convenient.
"You can't get away from the statistics. The NHS is more under pressure from people who have diabetes or coronary disease that is related to their weight."
Natasha Allmark, from the Liberal Democrats in Wolverhampton, said: “With nearly one in three children technically obese by the time they reach school it's time we had a reality check on our expanding waistlines. There is no other way to describe this issue than a public health crisis facing our city."
