If you are considering having private weight loss in the UK or abroad please note the following important information:
The aftercare for weight loss surgery is of a specialist nature so for patients who have had NHS bariatric surgery, it is provided by our local weight loss surgery service, not their GP practice.
NHS Cheshire and Merseyside does not commission or fund a service to provide aftercare for patients who have had weight loss surgery in the private sector or abroad.
This means that we are unable to provide aftercare for weight loss surgery ourselves and we are unable to refer you for this elsewhere in the NHS.
The NHS has published guidance on going abroad for medical treatment (click here) and the British Obesity and Metabolic Surgery Society strongly advises UK residents to be cautious when considering weight loss surgery abroad (click here). If the service providing your weight loss surgery is not providing you with the necessary aftercare, it may be possible for you to purchase this from a UK private hospital or clinic
Although NHS aftercare is not available to patients who have had surgery privately or abroad, please be assured that NHS emergency services are available should any emergency treatment be required because of any issues arising from your weight loss surgery.
If you wish to discuss this matter further, please contact the NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Patient Experience Team:
- Telephone – 0800 132 996
- Email – [email protected]
- Post – No.1 Lakeside, 920 Centre Park Square, Warrington, WA1 1QY
This information is based on guidance that has been provided by the British Medical Association (BMA) and it was developed by the Association of Cheshire and Merseyside Local Medical Committees.