Bariatric Surgery aftercare following surgery abroad
The LMC continues to be concerned regarding the invidious position that GPs are put in when patients contact a surgery expecting aftercare following private bariatric surgery whether in this country or abroad.
We have previous raised this with the ICB and will continue to do so until there is a satisfactory and clear local position. Aftercare is considered by NICE to normally be a specialist service, and it is inappropriate for general practices to be requested to provide this.
The ICB has previously advised that if a patient would have been eligible for bariatric surgery in LLR, then they can be referred for aftercare at UHL. If you refer a patient in this position and the referral is rejected, please inform the LMC. If a patient is not eligible, then they should be advised that they will need to seek the aftercare privately.
The NHS provides a ‘check list’ for patients to consider before travelling abroad for travel.
Our understanding is that the likely situation is that if a patient:
- Has private bariatric surgery, but would have met the NHS criteria, then they should be provided with the same NHS follow up that would have been provided if they had the surgery done under the NHS.
- Has a complication following private bariatric surgery they will be eligible for NHS care of that complication.
- • Has private bariatric surgery but would not have met the NHS criteria, they are not eligible for NHS follow up, including from general practice.
We will provide appropriate guidance as soon as we can, but in the interim we suggest informing patients that if they have private bariatric surgery, then they may not be eligible for NHS follow up, including from general practice, and they should take this into account and make private arrangement for this.