Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with North Kirklees Clinical Commissioning Group on its decision to delay surgery to those who are overweight and/or smoke; and if he will make a statement.

Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) 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.

North Kirklees CCG will continue to work closely with NHS England to ensure the Health Optimisation programme remains compliant with any future national guidelines and policies.

A patient engagement survey is being undertaken and there will be a continuous review process of the impact of the Health Optimisation programme.