Weight Loss Surgery Eligibility Criteria

Do You Meet the Criteria for Weight Loss Surgery? Find Out Below

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Will I Be Eligible For Weight Loss Surgery?

Your eligibility for surgical treatment of your obesity will depend on the procedure that you are considering and on your own personal circumstances. Although we provide guidelines, the ultimate decision on which treatment is best will be the result of an in-depth discussion between you and the operating surgeon at consultation. At this meeting we will explain the pros and cons of the various treatment options available to you.

Below we have provided the NICE guidelines. NICE is the National Institute for Clinical Excellence and it sets the guidelines that NHS Trusts work to when considering the public’s eligibility for weight loss surgery. The criteria applicable for private patients is different to this which is also addressed.

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Can I Get Weight Loss Surgery on the NHS?

Subject to local NHS Trust restrictions, you will be eligible for weight loss surgery if you meet the following criteria:

You have tried and exhausted diet and lifestyle programmes as a way to manage your weight

You have a body mass index above 40

You have a body mass index above 35 plus a weight-related co-morbidity

Local NHS Trusts may apply additional selection criteria to focus their weight loss surgery on a narrower set of patients. For example, some Trusts will not offer surgery to smokers or will require that patients follow a weight loss programme for 6 months or more first. Other Trust many increases the minimum BMI limit to 50.

The effect of these criteria is that only about 4500 weight loss surgery procedures are done in the NHS each year. This is because Trusts have to balance their resources and decide on treatment priorities across the entire healthcare spectrum.

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Will I Be Eligible For Private Weight Loss Surgery?

Generally speaking, we will do weight loss surgery for patients where the published data says their health will benefit from it. The following guidelines are applicable to private patients:

You have tried and exhausted diet and lifestyle programmes as a way to manage your weight

Your weight is having an impact on your daily life

You have a BMI above 35*

*IMPORTANT – Procedures will be considered from a lower BMI depending on the type of procedure and the individual patient circumstances. In all cases, a minimum BMI of 30 would apply.

Your eligibility for surgery will be discussed in detail at a face to face surgeon consultation. This is when we will discuss all of the surgical options available to you and explain the implications of each. The consultation will equip you with all of the information you need to decide on the best procedure for you personally. If you want to find out which procedure you might qualify for, contact a surgeon today.

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