FIREFIGHTERS are being called out more than once a month to help lift and move obese patients in Oxfordshire.

There have been at least 1,784 call-outs across England in the past five years, including 56 in Oxfordshire.

Cases in the county included a man who had to be removed from the first-floor bedroom of a two-storey house through a window. On another occasion, firefighters helped paramedics to move a 40-stone man, while a 35-stone woman was also "assisted into a wheelchair and made comfortable".

Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by shadow health minister Mike Penning showed Oxfordshire fire and rescue service's 56 call-outs cost taxpayers £128,184 over five years.

Chief fire officer John Parry said he was concerned at the potential impact on the fire service’s primary role to respond to emergencies.

He added: “I would be concerned if there was a continual increase in the number of such calls for assistance, either from the ambulance service, the health service or individuals who are obese.

“We are prepared to assist in medical-related incidents, but we would be unwilling to become involved in assisting people who are obese when there is no over-riding medical reason for urgency.”

Mr Parry said there were 14 incidents in Oxfordshire in 2004, eight in 2005, 10 in 2006, nine in 2007 and 15 in 2008.

Mr Penning said the incidents showed the NHS was struggling to cope with the obesity epidemic.

He said: "We urgently need action now, but unfortunately this Government's record has been one of obesity targets missed and scrapped, budgets for information campaigns being raided, and dithering over food labelling.

"It is about time that the Government woke up and started to take obesity seriously."

Across England, 37 fire services reported a total of 1,784 call-outs since 2004, almost one a day, of which three-quarters were to help the NHS move patients, costing more than £4m in total.

Other cases included patients stuck in baths, cars, a stair lift and on a commode.

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