MORE than 30 patients in Worcestershire had to be referred to other hospitals because they were too heavy for scanning equipment.

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust made 41 referrals for 34 obese patients during the last three years, according to figures revealed after a freedom of information request by the Press Association.

The figures showed NHS trusts across the country have to send hundreds of obese patients elsewhere within the NHS.

The problem was blamed on a lack of investment by hospitals on equipment to scan larger patients.

The National Obesity Forum said this should never need to happen if hospitals had planned ahead properly.

A spokesman from the Obesity Forum, a charity that seeks to raise awareness of obesity, said: "Every district general hospital should now never need to transfer their patients for scans.

"The economic case for investing in their own scanner could have been made years ago when it became clear that obesity numbers were not about to decline.

"Indeed, the fat were getting fatter and therefore likely to require more scanning episodes.

"Despatching patients to hospitals miles away is both cumulatively expensive for the hospital and degrading for the individual."

The chief medical officer said recently that obesity should be treated as a national priority and recommended the Government should include the issue on its national risk planning.

By 2050 obesity is predicted to affect 60 per cent of adult men, 50 per cent of adult women and 25 per cent of children.

The figures also showed St George's University Hospitals NHS Trust in London has had to refer

102 patients elsewhere due to their weight.

Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust and Frimley Health Trust had to refer 48 patients each and two children at Birmingham Children's Hospital were too large to be scanned.

However most trusts said they could not provide any information.

No one from Worcester Acute Hospitals Trust as available to comment.