Weight Loss Surgery Abroad – What We Can and Cannot Support With

If you are considering or have had weight loss (bariatric) surgery privately or abroad, it is important to understand who is responsible for your care after the operation.

When you choose to have surgery privately or overseas, your GP practice does not become responsible for the specialist aftercare associated with that surgery. Your surgical provider should make appropriate arrangements for your follow-up and ongoing care.

Your surgical provider's responsibility

The hospital, surgeon or bariatric service carrying out your surgery should provide appropriate post-operative care, including:

• Post-operative reviews and monitoring
• Advice about your recovery, diet and nutrition
• Monitoring and treatment of nutritional deficiencies
• Advice about vitamins and supplements
• Appropriate blood tests and monitoring
• Interpretation of blood-test results
• Management of complications related to your surgery
• Access to specialist bariatric advice and support
• Further treatment or referral if problems arise

Before having surgery, you should check exactly what aftercare is included in the cost of your surgery and how long this support will continue after you return home.

Blood tests after bariatric surgery

Patients who have had surgery privately or abroad are sometimes given a schedule of blood tests to be completed at intervals such as 3 months, 6 months, 1 year and 2 years after surgery.

These tests form part of specialist bariatric follow-up. Our GP practice is not able to take responsibility for carrying out this specialist monitoring or interpreting the results on behalf of a private or overseas provider. This is because specialist follow-up involves more than taking blood samples. The appropriate specialist service needs to:

• Decide which tests are required
• Interpret the results in relation to your surgery
• Identify nutritional deficiencies or other complications
• Decide whether treatment or supplementation is needed
• Arrange further investigations or specialist treatment where necessary
• Monitor your results over time

We therefore cannot accept a list of blood tests from a private or overseas provider and take over responsibility for the ongoing monitoring of your bariatric surgery; however you may be able to arrange the follow up needed through a local private provider such as a private GP.

What can your GP practice help with?

Your GP practice will continue to provide normal NHS primary care and will assess and manage health problems that fall within the scope of general practice. However, we cannot provide the specialist surgical aftercare that should be provided by your bariatric surgeon or service.

If you need specialist bariatric follow-up, you should contact the provider who carried out your surgery and ask them to arrange the necessary care.

If appropriate, we may be able to refer you to an NHS specialist service. Please be aware that there may be a delay before you are seen. An NHS referral should not be relied upon as a substitute for arranging appropriate aftercare with your private or overseas provider before having surgery.

If you become unwell

If you develop a problem following surgery, you should contact the hospital, surgeon or bariatric service that carried out your operation, where possible.

If you are seriously unwell or have symptoms that could represent an emergency, seek urgent medical attention. Do not delay emergency treatment while trying to contact your private or overseas provider.

Before you have surgery

If you are considering having weight loss surgery privately or abroad, please make sure you understand the arrangements for your care after the operation.

Ask your provider:

• Who will provide my follow-up care when I return home?
• How long will follow-up be provided?
• Who will arrange and interpret my blood tests?
• Who will monitor my nutritional status?
• Who will provide my vitamins and supplements?
• Who will manage complications?
• Who can I contact if I develop problems months or years after surgery?
• What happens if I need further treatment or another operation?

Please do not assume that your GP practice will be able to provide your specialist post-operative care or bariatric blood-test monitoring.

Our role is to provide safe and appropriate NHS primary care. Responsibility for specialist care related to privately or overseas-performed bariatric surgery remains with the surgical provider.