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Case ref:201706572
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Date:July 2018
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Body:Tayside NHS Board
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Sector:Health
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Outcome:Not upheld, no recommendations
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Subject:policy / administration
Summary
Miss C complained that the board unreasonably refused to perform liposuction (a cosmetic procedure used to remove unwanted body fat) for her lipoedema (a chronic fat tissue disorder in which fat cells build up, typically on the thighs, buttocks and lower legs, which causes tissue enlargement, swelling and pain. This tissue cannot be lost through weight loss). The board had criteria in place for providing this procedure and Miss C did not meet the criteria. Miss C complained that the criteria were unreasonable.
We took independent advice from a plastic surgeon. We found that it was reasonable for the board to have criteria in place for providing liposuction for lipoedema, and that the criteria was appropriate in order to balance the benefits and potential risks of the procedure. We did not uphold Miss C's complaint.