Merseyside hospitals have collectively invested £300,000 on bariatric beds to cope with the rise in obese patients.
The new super-strong beds can hold up to 72 stone and cost thousands of pounds each, details in an ECHO Freedom Of Information request reveal.
Five hospitals have spent a huge amount of money on the beds since 2009, blaming the expenditure on an obesity crisis in the region. These include Fazakerley, the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen Hospitals, Southport, Walton Centre and the Liverpool Heart and Chest hospital.
The biggest spenders were the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen hospitals, who spent £120,000. A trust spokesperson for the hospitals, told JMU journalism: “”Obesity is a nationwide health issue and, like in many hospitals, some of the patients we look after are obese.
“We have invested in specialist beds and equipment to provide these patients with the comfort and additional support that they need when they are in our care.”
Hospitals previously had to hire the reinforced frame beds which also have a wider sleeping platform. One bed costs around £23,000 to purchase.
Fazakerley Hospital was recently awarded a contract to carry out weight-loss surgery for patients from the Merseyside, Cumbria and Lancashire areas.
Two supercentres have recently been set at Aintree University and the Countess of Chester hospitals specifically to treat obese patients who require weight loss surgery, gastric bands and other obesity related surgeries.