Health bosses in Devon who were threatening to ban smokers or the morbidly obese from undergoing routine operations until they quit the habit or lose weight have abandoned the plans. The plans announced last week made national headlines and even led to Exeter's Labour MP Ben Bradshaw claiming in the House of Commons that Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Communities Secretary Eric Pickles would be refused operations.
Health bosses in Devon who were threatening to ban smokers or the morbidly obese from undergoing routine operations until they quit the habit or lose weight have abandoned the plans.
The Northern, Eastern and Western Devon Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) had previously said that due to temporary cost-cutting measures, patients would be expected to have a body mass index (BMI) below 35, while smokers would have to quit eight weeks ahead of surgery.
The plans announced last week made national headlines and even led to Exeter's Labour MP Ben Bradshaw claiming in the House of Commons that Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Communities Secretary Eric Pickles would be refused operations.
The Clinical Commissioning Group, which covers most of Devon from Plymouth to Barnstaple, had said the measures were to "prioritise essential services" and were being temporarily extended to all routine surgical procedures except those deemed urgent or immediately necessary, including cancer operations.
Now changes are being made following feedback from a wide range of stakeholders across health, social care and professional bodies on the proposals.
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