Hospitals face obesity costs

Hospitals are buying specialist beds and wheelchairs, commodes and crutches for obese patients. Photo / Thinkstock

Britain's obesity crisis is so serious that NHS hospitals are buying specialist equipment to keep bodies cool because they are too large to fit into mortuary fridges.

They are also having to widen corridors, buy reinforced beds and lifting equipment in order to cope with the growing numbers of obese patients coming though their doors. Figures show that hospitals have spent at least 5.5 million ($10.75 million) over the past three years to allow them to treat larger patients.

Hospitals are buying specialist beds and wheelchairs, commodes and crutches for obese patients. Yeovil District Hospital NHS Trust spent 15,000 on a body cooling system. At Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn, 30,000 was spent on a body store fridge and 20,000 to strengthen an operating theatre floor. Doncaster and Bassetlaw NHS Trust spent 80,000 widening corridors.