Record number of patients are being treated in hospital for obesity

Record numbers of patients are being taken to hospital because of obesity, official figures show.

The crisis means hospitals are being flooded with 2,400 obese patients a day – up almost a quarter in a year.

NHS figures for England show there were 876,000 admissions last year linked to obesity, with women making up two in three patients.

And nearly 700 children required hospital treatment because of their weight – the second highest number on record.

Health officials have warned the crisis is likely to have worsened during the pandemic, with millions of children stuck at home and doing less exercise.

Boris Johnson is expected to reveal plans to tackle obesity within weeks, including possible wider use of weight loss operations and clampdowns on unhealthy food promotions.

But he has faced criticism for apparently ruling out an extension of the sugar tax to include sugary food and more drinks.

Health officials have warned the crisis is likely to have worsened during the pandemic, with millions of children stuck at home and doing less exercise [File photo]

Experts say Britain’s bulging waistline is a key factor in the UK having the highest Covid death toll in Europe. 

The Prime Minister is said to blame his weight for his spell in intensive care.

He has hinted at plans for a national diet to help reduce the burden on the NHS but critics say he has been slow to act. 

There were over 11,000 hospital admissions directly attributable to obesity in 2018-19 – up 4 per cent on the previous year.

An increase in gastric band surgery, a measure Mr Johnson is reportedly keen to expand, is one of the reasons behind the rise.

Those from deprived areas were more likely to be admitted to hospital because of obesity, the data suggests.

A third of children and two thirds of adults in Britain are overweight.

The Prime Minister is said to blame his weight for his spell in intensive care. He has hinted at plans for a national diet to help reduce the burden on the NHS but critics say he has been slow to act

Tam Fry, of the National Obesity Forum, said Government plans needed to be implemented now. 

He said: ‘A second spike of Covid-19 may now be a possibility and, without urgent action, spikes in childhood obesity are a certainty.’

Labour health spokesman Jonathan Ashworth said ‘ministerial dither’ was putting children’s health at risk. He said that ministers had failed to implement recommendations from the Government’s second chapter of its 2018 obesity report.

Advertising Association boss Stephen Woodford said the UK already has some of the strictest rules for advertising foods that are high in fat, salt or sugar.