We are seeing more patients going abroad for surgery including weight loss surgery.  Please be aware this is a very specialised area of care and GPs in the UK cannot share care with an overseas specialist.

Please see the British Obesity and Metabolic Surgery Society statement on bariatric tourism.

Patients are coming back from overseas especially Turkey and asking us to undertake blood tests which the patient intends to send to the specialist overseas. This puts our clinicians in an impossible situation as the GMC is very clear that we are responsible for any blood tests we request, yet we have NO experience in post op care in this complex condition.

UHCW allows us to refer to them after surgery, but the current wait is 8 weeks and we envisage this service will quickly be overwhelmed. If you are sent an appointment and you do not attend, you will be immediately discharged and have no appropriate follow on care.

We would never recommend going to overseas for surgery especially as we are seeing a number of patients returning with complications.