Patients have been left in the lurch after a weight-loss service was scrapped by Swale's clinical commissioning group.

Severely overweight patients sent on the free one-year course at Sheppey Community Hospital and Sittingbourne Memorial Hospital must now fend for themselves.

The Rev Clare van den Berg, who was on the the Specialist Weight Management Service scheme, said: “Like others, I am very disheartened by the closure of this service which provided one-to-one help or group talks with a dietician, exercise physiologist and a therapist to achieve weight loss by improving our diet, eating behaviours, physical activity levels and emotional wellbeing.

“I only joined in November but lost one-and-a-half stone. This decision has left all of us struggling with losing weight alone.”

She has vowed to come to the rescue of some by opening her Strode Crescent Baptist Church in Sheerness next Tuesday (April 2) from 2pm as a temporary meeting place.

She said: “I cannot give dietary advice but this will be a place to let off steam, get encouragement, share the joys and disappointments and have a weigh-in if you want.

“This service was for people really struggling with their weight and facing bariatric surgery. It was for people who had tried other ways which hadn’t worked. We have now all been left in the lurch.”

Between 2014 and 2017 nearly 700 people used the service which was provided by Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust.

Sheppey's final meeting was last Friday, the same day the government announced obesity had overtaken smoking as the most common cause of cancer for the first time.

The Sittingbourne sessions were held on Monday afternoons and Wednesday mornings.

Patient Brian Hazelden stormed: “This leaves Sheppey and Sittingbourne without a valuable resource available to others in Kent and which is proven to reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer as well as improving quality of life and reducing dependency upon carers.”

He has asked for the closures to be added as an emergency item to the agenda of tomorrow's Swale CCG governing body meeting at Gravesham council offices in Gravesend at 9.30am.

Fellow patient Caterina Amato said: “Obesity is at critical levels yet Swale in its wisdom has closed one of the most needed and frequently attended specialist weight management initiatives in the area.

“Hundreds of us have been left high and dry and must revert back to our already overloaded GPs for referrals to physios and other professionals despite an initiative already being in place.”

Anne Ford, assistant director for health improvement at KCHFT said: “The CCG wrote to us after taking over commissioning the service in October and asked us to make it more cost-effective. But after extensive investigation we were unable to reduce the cost and maintain quality. Regrettably, we will no longer provide the service from the end of March.

"We will make sure all service-users are signposted to alternative provision, where possible.’’

A spokesman for Swale CCG, which plans and pays for the area's healthcare, said: "The existing specialist weight management service in Swale ends on March 31.

"Swale is the last area in Kent and Medway to no longer commission this particular service.

"The decision to end it was taken because we felt it could be improved by offering more of a focus on the psychological elements of weight management, provided through a bariatric consultant-led service, as is now the case across the rest of Kent and Medway.

"We also have a responsibility to provide services which offer best value for money and the existing service was not cost-effective.

"Unfortunately, it has not been possible for the existing provider to deliver this service.

"NHS Swale CCG is committed to providing a quality and efficient service for all patients who would benefit from a holistic specialist weight management programme.

"This is vital for supporting people in changing their lifestyle and habits to manage their weight and reduce their risk of developing long-term or serious health conditions.

"We are committed to ensuring patients experience as little disruption as possible.

"Everyone currently using the specialist weight management service in Swale will be individually contacted and directed to another service suitable for their needs, where possible.

"If anyone currently accessing this service has specific concerns they are encouraged to contact us in writing by email or post, or get in touch with their GP.

"In the meantime, we are currently exploring all the options available that can deliver both improved quality and value for people in Swale."

In a letter to patients, the CCG admitted a decision on a new provider was not expected until at least June.

Patients must have a body mass index of at least 40 and be referred by their doctor to use the service.

The CCG is based at Bramblefield Clinic, Grovehurst Road, Kemsley, ME10 2ST.

Phone: 03000 425100

Email: swale.ccg@nhs.net