A WOMAN who was given stomach-shrinking surgery on the NHS is fuming that health chiefs won’t fund a much needed follow-up operation.

Ann Preston, 46, underwent a gastric bypass operation last year after her weight went up to 24 stone.

Since the procedure, which was done at Homerton Hospital, in East London, but funded by NHS South West Essex primary care trust, the part-time receptionist has lost ten stones and gone from size 32 to 14.

However, the operation, which shrinks the stomach making it impossible to binge on food, has left Ann with unsightly skin covering her arms and the top part of her body, which needs to be removed.

She said: “I was always told in the beginning the skin operation would be part of the treatment.

“It’s terrible. I feel so unconfident, I don’t like to even leave the house.

“I’ve got to get it done, but the trust is now saying it won’t pay for it because I’m not an ‘exceptional case’.

“But it seems like a postcode lottery because if I lived in another part of Essex, I would be able to get it done without all this hassle.”

Ann, of Eden Green, South Ockendon, says she is having counselling for depression because of her appearance.

She said she became obese due to years of overeating while she was in an abusive relationship.

She added: “I just think it’s wrong to just do half of it and stop. There are two parts to this gastric surgery. If they’d told me this situation could come up, I don’t know if I would have had the gastric bypass in the first place.”

Tom Abell, acting director of commissioning and service integration at NHS South West Essex, said: “Body contouring surgery is not provided as a matter of course following bypass surgery. This is made clear before surgery takes place.

“All requests for cosmetic surgery are assessed against set criteria. Unfortunately, this patient does not meet those criteria.

“When a patient’s particular condition falls outside of set criteria, patients have the option to be reviewed by clinicians, lay members and managers as an ‘exceptional case’.

“This patient’s case was declined in July as it was not considered exceptional as defined here.

“There are a range of support mechanisms for people suffering from depression and we strongly recommend anyone experiencing signs of depression consults an appropriate health professional, such as their GP.”