Experts in Severe and Complex Obesity
Experts in Severe and Complex Obesity (ESCO) is an expert group set up 'to lobby for more NHS obesity surgery'.[1] It was launched at the National Obesity Forum's Annual Conference in October 2009 by patron Anne Diamond.[2] ESCO includes experts in the fields of surgery, endocrinology, dietetics, psychology, gynaecology and health economics. [1]
Contents
Activities
The group advocates for 'equitable access to high quality, multi-disciplinary treatment for people with severe and complex obesity in England'. ESCO Chairman and consultant endocrinologist Professor Nick Finer outlined its plans:
- ESCO will advise on long term solutions to improve patient monitoring, standards of care and further research in health economics centred on a multi-disciplinary approach. We aim not only to develop achievable solutions but to change perceptions – that these treatments can put conditions like type 2 diabetes into remission, so weight loss alone should not be just seen as an endpoint.”[1]
Chairman Nick Finer believes England and Wales are several years behind Scotland in terms of developing dedicated specialist severe obesity clinics and services. He is concerned by the 'enormous inequalities and postcode lotteries' patients face when accessing weight-loss services. "In England there is patchy distribution of bariatric surgery services. Many SHAs have been unable to direct PCTs to implement (their own) policy, let alone NICE policy.'[3]
Affiliations
The group has received official endorsement from the National Obesity Forum and the British Obesity and Metabolic Surgery Society (BOMSS).[1]
People
- Professor Nick Finer - Chairman of ESCO, Consultant Endocrinologist, Honorary Professor of Medicine, University College Hospital London, Chair of Education and Management Task Force of the International Association for the Study of Obesity [4]
- Dr Alberic Fiennes, Vita Clinics’ UK Bariatric Surgeon Adviser, [1]Secretary of The British Obesity & Metabolic Surgery Society (BOMSS)
- Dr David Haslam, chair of the National Obesity Forum
- Dr Carel Le Roux, consultant physician
- Duff Bruce FRCS, consultant, GI surgeon and current chairman of the Scottish charity The Severe and Complex Obesity Treatment Service (SCOTS) [5]
Contact
- Address:
- Phone:
- Email:
- Website:
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Vita Clinics, New expert group to lobby for more NHS obesity surgery, 7 October 2009, accessed 26 October 2010. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "Vita" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Vita Clinics, Anne Diamond calls for more NHS obesity surgery to be funded, 7 October 2010, accessed 26 October 2010.
- ↑ Stephen Robinson Bariatric lottery 'fuels obesity rise' GP, 3 June 2010, accessed October 2010
- ↑ Easier Lifestyle Shedding the pounds: Still more to consider, 22 September 2010, accessed 26 October 2010.
- ↑ Aberdeen Surgical Meet the Team, accessed 26 October 2010.
