Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential public health and economic benefits of health optimisation plans on delaying NHS treatments to patients who smoke or are overweight.

Clinical commissioning groups are responsible for commissioning care that will provide the best possible outcomes for their patients. In doing so, they should take into account best practice and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance.

As some treatments pose higher risks for severely overweight patients and those who smoke, it is often appropriate that local general practitioner-led commissioners offer support to help those patients lose weight and stop smoking before their treatment. All treatment decisions are made on a case by case basis.

Decisions will continue to be made on a case by case basis. People who do not wish to access support services or fail to meet relevant criteria will still be able to have their operation after the relevant time period.