Clinic sees dozens of severely obese children

More than 150 children have been treated for obesity since 2022 at a specialist clinic in Kent, according to NHS figures.

Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford said 122 children were undergoing treatment at its complications from excess weight clinic and 153 patients had completed treatment.

The clinic, which began four years ago, primarily treats teenagers but has seen children as young as three who have complications from severe obesity.

The Kent service's clinical lead, Dr Alok Gupta, said the work was "contributing to national recommendations" for excess weight and obesity prevention.

The doctor said the service had been "running very successfully" and "also managed to provide advice and guidance in a further 200 cases involving children and young people.

The service is also helping set up community services for prevention and management of mild to moderate obesity without complications, he added.

The excess weight clinic is one of multiple services across England, staffed by paediatricians, psychologists and dieticians.

Clinicians provide mental health support, care for other underlying conditions and dietary advice.

According to research on the clinics, some patients have been referred to the clinics with a body mass index over 50.

A BMI of 40 is deemed to be severely obese.

The research, presented at the European Congress on Obesity, found over 40% of children attending the clinics lived in the country's most deprived neighbourhoods.

The Obesity Health Alliance pressure group's chief executive Katharine Jenner said the clinics were "dealing with the consequences of a broken food system".

"When very young children need specialist treatment for complications linked to excess weight, that should alarm all of us, especially the government," she said.

"Whilst there has been some progress on restricting the advertising and promotion of less healthy food, the speed of action is not matching the scale nor the urgency of the crisis."

The Department of Health and Social Care was contacted for comment.

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