Alder Hey: Inside one of first child 'excess weight' clinics

Dr Senthil Senniappan is a Consultant Endocrinologist at Alder Hey Hospital and leads the team at the CEW clinic.

A leading consultant in paediatric health says he is increasingly treating children for diseases previously seen only in middle age and the elderly.

Liverpool's Alder Hey Children's Hospital was one of the first in the country to open a Complications from Excess Weight (CEW) clinic.

Nationally, nearly one in four children aged between 10 and 11 is now classified as living with obesity.

But in parts of the North West that is nearer one in three.

The clinics specifically deal with complications caused by excess weight

The clinic, set up in 2021, is currently helping about 200 children, but the level of demand is so great, another 100 children are on the waiting list.

Dr Senthil Senniappan is a consultant endocrinologist at Alder Hey Hospital and leads the team at the CEW clinic.

He said the average weight of a child he sees is 19st (120kg).

"We have 10 year olds getting diagnosed with diabetes, sleep apnoea, needing breathing support at home. We have patients with severe liver issues.

"These things would have been unheard of a few decades ago and this is becoming more and more common," he said.

Dr Senniappan said anxiety and depression was also a major issue for many of the patients.

The clinic has psychologists who help the children deal with mental health issues while other members of the team look after their physical well-being.

Nearly one in four children aged between 10 and 11 is now classified as living with obesity

One mum, who has been going to the clinic with her teenage daughter since it opened, spoke to the BBC about her daughter's experience. Their names have been changed to Nicola and Naomi to protect their privacy.

Nicola said Naomi's body produced too much cortisol and that made her crave fatty and sugary foods.

"Her heart health was poor, she had a fatty liver, her cholesterol was high, I don't think her kidneys were working properly so inside she wasn't doing very well," she said.

Naomi also has autism, and has sensory issues with food.

Dr Sennippan said around 30% of the children who came to the clinic were on the autism spectrum, while another 10-15% had ADHD or a learning difficulty.

But the issue of children being dangerously overweight is now widespread throughout all society.

Alder Hey Hospital is now looking at increasing outpatient provision to help those on the waiting list.

The most recent statistics from the Office for National Statistics show that nationally nearly one in four children aged 10-11 years is now classed as obese (22.7%).

In Knowsley, that percentage is nearly one in three (30.7%) - the highest in the country and in Manchester (29%), Liverpool (28%), and Halton (28%), the figures are also notably above the average.

A huge difference

Clinics like the one in Alder Hey Hospital are now being rolled out in other parts of the country, including Manchester and Preston.

Naomi is now on medication to suppress the cravings brought on by cortisol and Nicola said it had made a big difference.

"She's done great. She feels fuller when she's eating so eats a lot less. All her health problems - they're all fine. On the normal range now," she said.

The root of many of the problems seen at this clinic is poverty and a lack of access to or money for, healthy food and exercise.

Dr Senniappan said some families struggled to afford the transport to get there. The hospital has an arrangement with local charities to help with clothing and food for those who need it.

Nicola says she cooks everything from scratch, with healthy ingredients, but as a single mum on a restricted income, she knows how much easier and cheaper the fast food option can be.

She would like to see more understanding of the problems families like hers face.

"[I'd like people] not to be so judgemental if you see a child who's overweight or obese. They just think 'Oh, they over eat or they binge eat or their parents don't feed them properly', but that's not always the case," she said.

Alder Hey Hospital is now looking at increasing outpatient provision to help those on the waiting list.

The stark fact is that in some of the areas they serve, children now have a predicted healthy life expectancy lower than their parents.