Latest news with #NHSSuffolk
ITV News
05-08-2025
- Health
- ITV News
Patients left in tears as NHS GPs fail to prescribe obesity jabs
ITV News Health Correspondent Rebecca Barry and Senior Producer Helena Lambert expose delays in the NHS roll-out of weight-loss drugs The vast majority of GPs in England are not prescribing weight-loss injections on the NHS despite the medication being approved for use, ITV News has found. Since June, general practitioners in England have been allowed to prescribe Mounjaro to severely obese people who have related health problems. At the time, the Health Secretary Wes Streeting described it as an "important step", bringing "revolutionary modern treatments to everyone who needs them, not just those who can afford to pay". But exclusive research conducted by ITV News has found that only four local NHS health systems in England are making the medication available to patients through GPs. Suzanne Hall from Southport feels let down by the NHS over the delayed roll-out of the drugs. The mum-of-two is on the NHS waiting list for bariatric surgery, but would prefer to try weight-loss injections first. She has managed to lose five stone in six months, through diet and exercise, but still weighs 20 stone, and her obesity is affecting her physical and mental health. The 45-year-old has multiple health problems linked to her weight, including sleep apnoea, high blood pressure and pre-diabetes. It also worsens her ulcerative colitis. When she asked her GP if she could try the jabs, she was told they still aren't available in her area. "I'm just frustrated," Suzanne told ITV News. "I just need a little bit of help, but for some reason, people like me aren't getting the help and support they need." She wishes she could buy the medication privately, but cannot afford it. "I'm working class. We're talking hundreds of pounds. I don't have hundreds of pounds at the end of the month to go and buy Mounjaro injections." In December 2024, Mounjaro was approved for the treatment of obesity on the NHS in England. The drug was initially only available through specialist weight-loss clinics. From June 23 2025, GPs in England were allowed to start prescribing Mounjaro to people with a body mass index (BMI) of over 40 and health conditions linked to their obesity, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease or obstructive sleep apnoea. But our investigation exposes a postcode lottery. ITV News obtained information from 33 of the 42 Integrated Care Boards across England. In 29 of the local health systems, patients still can't access Mounjaro through their GP. Only four areas are currently prescribing the weight-loss jabs in NHS primary care settings. They are NHS Suffolk and North East Essex, NHS South West London, NHS West Yorkshire and NHS Sussex. Around 29% of adults in the UK are obese. It's estimated that weight-loss injections are used by 1.5 million people in the UK, mainly through private prescriptions. The government's recently announced 10-Year Plan for the NHS promises to "launch a moonshot to end the obesity epidemic". It includes a pledge to "harness recent breakthroughs in weight-loss medication and expand access through the NHS". At the Clifton Medical Centre in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, more than 200 patients have asked for the weight-loss injections, but they cannot currently access them on the NHS. "I've had patients in tears in front of me," Dr Matthew Capehorn told ITV News. Around 70% of adults in Rotherham are obese or overweight, but GPs in the town can't yet prescribe Mounjaro because local health bosses say the necessary support services for diet and exercise still haven't been set up. "We've got a medication that's approved by the NHS that can help them - and I'm having to say to them yes, it is available, but I can't prescribe it yet," Dr Capehorn, a GP and obesity expert, said. "I don't want to be an NHS doctor saying 'sorry, but you're going to have to go out and self-fund this medication,' because it's not cheap. I want to do what's best for my patients." An NHS spokesperson said: "Weight-loss drugs have a vital role to play in helping many more people manage their weight and lead healthier lives, and the NHS is developing and rolling out a range of lifestyle support that will be available locally and online to ensure they can be prescribed by GPs as part of holistic care. "The NHS is fully supporting the phased rollout of tirzepatide for eligible patients, having issued guidance and provided funding to local ICBs in March. "These represent brand new services in primary care that are being established and scaled up over time, starting with those who are in the most need – and in the meantime, eligible patients can get weight-loss support from a range of other services including the NHS Digital Weight Management programme." A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "We expect NHS Integrated Care Boards to be making these drugs, which can help tackle the obesity crisis in the UK, available as part of the phased rollout so those with the highest needs are able to access them." "As we shift our focus from treatment to prevention with our 10 Year Health Plan we are determined to bring revolutionary modern treatments to everyone who needs them, not just those who can afford to pay."
BBC News
11-02-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Mum warns of danger of constipation after son's death in Suffolk
A woman said she wanted to raise awareness of the danger of constipation after complications of the condition claimed the life of her Handley's 33-year-old son, Richard Handley, who had Down's syndrome, died at Ipswich Hospital in November 2012. He experienced a deterioration in his bowel health after moving into residential care home in Lowestoft, Suffolk, and about 10kg (22lb) of stools were removed from his body two days before his death. Ms Handley and health organisations in Suffolk and Essex have launched a new campaign designed to prevent similar deaths occurring in the future. "Richard suffered with constipation all his life, right from birth, but when he lived at home he learned to manage his constipation and keep him safe," she said."It was never a problem because I made sure his diet included lots of fruit vegetables and salad and he always had plenty to drink."But when he moved into residential care all that knowledge seemed to disappear, and when he was 33 he died as a result of very poor constipation care – it's a sad story." The four-week campaign will promote resources and information about diet, hydration, healthy digestion, tracking bowel habits, bowel screening and project is a collaborative effort between the NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board, Ace Anglia and the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation have also joined forces with the Essex Learning Disability Partnership and Essex Carers Network in an effort to promote good bowel health. Preventable condition Twenty-four percent of people with a learning disability who died in Suffolk and north-east Essex between 2023 and 2024, had long-term constipation."Anybody and everybody can get constipation, but it is common in people with learning disabilities," said Ms Handley."It's only by raising awareness of constipation, what it is, how you get it, and how you stop it, that we're going to stop sad stories like Richard's from happening."Lisa Dexter, the NHS community service manager for Learning Disability Specialist Health Services in north-east Essex, agreed that constipation was "preventable"."Every death that is linked to constipation is a tragedy," she added."There are excellent resources out there that can equip carers and health professionals with the knowledge they need to prevent future deaths."During this campaign we are asking people to learn more about constipation so they can best support the people they care for." Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
29-01-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Suffolk health boss promises county will lose 'dental desert' tag
A health boss has promised that a county will lose its tag as "the dental desert" within two years. Ed Garrett, chief executive of NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board, told the BBC it was working to improve NHS dental provisions within Suffolk. It comes after patients in the county reportedly had resorted to their own DIY dentistry after struggling to get government previously said it was committed to rebuilding dentistry and was working to provide an extra 700,000 urgent appointments. "In two years' time Suffolk will not be known as a dental desert, but in two years' time we'll be saying there's a lot more to do," Mr Garrett said."We're obviously coming from a low base. We have, however, opened a community interest company provision at the University of Suffolk."That will be delivering 18,000 appointments a year once it's fully up to speed."We've got a long way to go, but my message is, 'we're on it'."The new provision at the university offers urgent and emergency dental treatment. 'Patients are suffering' Mark Jones is the campaign coordinator of Toothless in Suffolk and believed Mr Garrett's comments were made with good intentions, but he said he took them "with a pinch of salt"."Unfortunately patients are suffering more than ever," Mr Jones said. "As the population expands in Suffolk so does the access to NHS dentistry become more of a pipe dream for every day patients."The issues haven't gone away. People are taking extreme measures whether that be extracting their own teeth or taking too many painkillers and taking days off work. It's still bigger than ever." 'I couldn't get help' Rebecca Stephenson is a dental patient in Leiston and revealed she had to help pull parts of her husband's tooth out town is well known for losing all its NHS dentists over the past few years and Mrs Stephenson said her and her husband were left unable to find any other services."I tried various different avenues ringing up all the local surgeries even one farther afield in different counties and couldn't get anybody to help," she said."Even 111 said you can really only get an emergency dentist if you have an abscess, some kind of raging infection, or pain that is just unendurable agony."She was pleased to hear Mr Garrett's comments but feared her husband would not have any teeth left in two years' time."I don't know why they [the government] don't think it's important," she added."He's treated for his health conditions that weaken his teeth, he has drugs that weaken his teeth, but the dentistry is not part of the joined up service." 'Wait and see' Hannah Woolnough, chair of the Suffolk branch of British Dental Association (BDA), said the service needed a "fundamental reform" and the BDA was yet to see any "substantive" changes. "Quite huge swathes of the population are really struggling with dental problems and access, so they have to prioritise it and do something," she said."Or they're going to lose a lot of voters' faith that the promises they make they are not keeping."There is hope, there's always hope, but whether that hope is appropriately placed we will wait and see."The Department for Health and Social Care previously said the issue was a "priority for this government"."We will reform the dental contract to encourage more dentists to offer NHS services to patients," it November, Health Minister Stephen Kinnock said Labour had inherited a recovery plan "not fit for purpose" and rebuilding dentistry would "take time". Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
