Slimming charity blasts NHS no "tummy tuck" decision

2:16am Thursday 17th April 2008

A WEIGHT loss expert has blasted local health bosses for denying super slimmer Zelda Haxby the "tummy tuck" she claims she deserves.

Zelda, 44, of Huntington, in York, has shed 15 stone in two years - an achievement that has put her in the national final of a slimming contest.

Zelda, who dropped from 35 stone to 20 stone, still wants to lose more weight and desperately needs abdominal surgery to help her on her way.

But North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust (PCT) has told Zelda she will not be considered for the surgery until she has lost another nine stone.

The decision has been strongly criticised by Michelle Willsher, who is a team manager at Slimming World's Fulford group, where Zelda is a member.

She said: "It's devastating for her and I think it's grossly unfair. Zelda is trying to change her life - she's now eating healthily and the amount of weight she has already lost is phenomenal.

"Obesity causes so many health-related problems and in the long run the operation will save the NHS a lot of money. What really gets me is that the PCT wrote to her offering her a nutritionist, but why does she need that? She knows how to eat well and lose weight - she's proven that already."

Until joining Slimming World two years ago, Zelda was devouring up to 25 packets of crisps a day in between giant-sized meals at lunch and tea-time.

But now the mum-of-two sticks to a healthy diet and her staggering weight loss has seen make the national final of Slimming World's "Greatest Loser".

Michelle said: "To start off at 35 stone must have been so difficult - it must have felt like she was climbing Mount Everest. It's absolutely awesome what she's done. Slimming World has 5,500 groups across the country and every single group will nominate a greatest loser. Of those 5,500 people, only ten get chosen for the national finals and Zelda is one of them - it's just fantastic."

A spokesperson for the PCT said they would only fund body contouring surgery where there were exceptional clinical reasons - and not until the patient had a body mass index of under 25.

She said: "The PCT has a responsibility to consider the evidence base for the clinical and cost-effectiveness of a treatment for a particular patient, while recognising the PCT's responsibility to prioritise NHS resources on meeting the overall health needs of the population we serve."