Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to provide specialist bariatric weight assessment and management clinics for patients (a) with diabetes and (b) that are classified as obese.

Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for commissioning complex obesity services for adults, which include all bariatric surgical procedures and the associated care. Children’s bariatric surgery remains the responsibility of NHS England Specialised Services.

When developing their associated commissioning policies and treatment criteria, we would expect CCGs to take into account any relevant current guidance, and consider the wider context of their actions which may include the costs incurred as a result of setting criteria which may deny or delay treatment for patients requiring bariatric surgery.