An area that has seen growth in the United Kingdom is weight loss surgery. The region has many obese individuals who choose to go under the knife to shed off weight. The UK has seen a rapid rise in the number of bariatric patients. While some chose to go outside the country, a good number of morbidly-obese individuals opt to stay back.
In recent years, concerns have been mounting. Many people are of the view that the UK government is not doing enough for obese individuals. Also, patients are asking after the role of the National Health Service (NHS). Funding the procedure yourself is commendable. But if there are alternate ways to access “free” weight loss surgery, it will be better. It is this gap that the NHS is filling. Most often, people want to find out the possibility of getting the procedure done on the NHS. Even though the service is available in England, it also serves patients who go out of the region. However, getting the service is not easy to come by. You have to pass through certain criteria before you get a nod. We’ll be looking at what it entails to get weight loss surgery on NHS.
How NHS Works
Obese individuals have the inclination to travel abroad to get surgical operation for their obesity. For some, the trip is at their expense. For the other party, an all-expense paid trip is what they get when they pass through the NHS. This is an insight into what the National Health Service does for weight loss patients.
The service is the largest publicly-funded national healthcare system in England. Apart from England, it also covers the four constituent countries that make up the United Kingdom. Since the inception on July 5, 1948, the NHS has been in the business of funding healthcare systems in England. In a nutshell, the service funds healthcare services for its users.
What it takes to Qualify
For a service that is free, many individuals will like to be beneficiaries. However, the NHS does not accept all who have interest. First, qualification is restricted to UK residents. This means that anyone that wishes to benefit from the service has to reside in the UK for some number of years. In spite of this, “foreigners” are not in the good books. Anyone who is not a British citizen automatically loses his slot in the service. Second, you must register with the system to benefit from the free medical care. Now that the method of qualification is known, it is imperative to discuss other areas.
Available Programs
The common question on the lips of obese individuals is if “the NHS supports weight loss surgery”. If that is also the question you have in mind, the answer is “Yes”. The National Health Service (NHS) is choosy when it comes to available programs. Surgical methods of shedding off extra kilos of flesh (bariatric surgeries) are available on the service. Yet, some other programs are not lucky. For instance, eye tests and dental care services are not available on the NHS. If you want to go through the knife to take off extra flesh, you already stand better chance of getting it done on NHS. This is however on the condition that you qualify for the service.
The NHS is not working
As absurd as this sound, the NHS is not “working”. The medical sector in England expects the system to be ahead of other competitors. Recently, comparisons were made between the United Kingdom and other countries. For instance, the NHS allegedly performs a minimum of 5,000 bariatric surgeries on yearly basis. This is far behind the 8,000 done by Italy; the amazing 12,000 procedures that Belgium tucks away every year and France’s 37,000 bariatric surgeries every year.
In the light of this, the NHS is literally “not working”. For this reason, doctors in the UK have made calls for improvements in the system. The view was that the government spends billions of Euros yearly on the service. This should be commensurate by providing more patients with more service. At this juncture, you stand a better chance of getting weight loss surgery on NHS. The UK is leading in the number of obese individuals. Hence, it is setting aside more funds to tackle the issue. To this end, the possibility of hitching a ride to your weight loss goals is tenable on the NHS.
General Practitioners (GPs) could be Clog in the Wheels
The going could be rosy for you. Scaling the pre-qualification stage is not guarantee that you can clinch “a ticket” on the NHS. It is worth noting that certain requirements must be met before you go for the procedure. In the United Kingdom (UK), the NHS structure specifies that General Practitioners (GP) play vital roles in the system. Because they have some say in the service, the GPs tend to overstretch their boundaries. Feelers from some patients who were at the verge of completing their qualification process on the NHS suggest that these patients were given the boot by GPs.
The tales take different twists. For one section of patients, they get suggestions for exercising. For some others, they believe the GPs are not aware of the technicalities of a weight loss surgery. Hence, they cannot offer professional support to the patient. The third party holds the view that they were turned down by GPs. They get the tip of “no funding” as answers for the decline to their requests.
Also, the allegation went further to posit that GPs refer patients to four-tier dieting and exercising program. In the long run, much result is not gotten. By this time, it will be late to pursue a weight loss surgery. In the light of this, it is imperative that relevant authorities step into the matter. The General Practitioners (GPs) need to be aware of the health benefits of a weight loss surgery. The restrictions patients have to battle with needs to stop. The point here is that you could get the red light even after qualifying for the NHS sponsorship. So, much effort needs to be in place to orientate GPs ahead of time. Besides, their main function is to access the patients’ health and cause for weight gain and also put them through the best weight loss surgery.
The Role of N.I.C.E
The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) is the decision-maker for the NHS. It suggests eligibility guidelines for weight loss surgery. It is important to demystify the roles it plays. First, NICE is a non-departmental public body under the Health Department of the United Kingdom government. It has the authority to publish guidelines in four (4) areas. It provides guidelines for social care services and public health workers on health promotion. Third, it specifies the appropriate treatment for people with special medical conditions. Finally, NICE issues guidelines for use of health technologies in the NHS.
The body (NICE) suggests that bariatric surgeries should be available on the NHS. However, that comes with underlying criteria. If you must get weight loss surgery on the NHS, then it is important to tick the right boxes that NICE specifies.
The NHS Criteria for Weight Loss Surgery
The National Health Service (NHS) does not work on its accord. With regulations by NICE, the system toes the line of supervised medical operations. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has set aside certain criteria an obese individual has to meet before getting weight loss surgery on NHS. The criteria vary across England and are exclusive to people that meet up with them. We’ll look at these stipulations.
- Body Mass Index: The first on the list is the Body Mass Index (BMI). This is certainly one of the things a GP access you on before giving the go-ahead signal. BMI has to do with the general weight of the body at a given time. For morbidly obese individuals, they’re in a good position to get a bariatric surgery when their weight surpasses a given figure. To get the weight loss surgical operation on NHS, you need to have a BMI of 35 or 40. There are underlying guidelines to these. A BMI hovering between 35 and 40 is acceptable if the patient is at risk of an obesity-related condition like high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes. A BMI of 40 is acceptable if other weight loss options (such as dieting and exercising) did not pay off.
- Ready for Anesthetic: Even though bariatric surgeries are less risky, patients are often placed under anesthetic. Before you get the pass to get weight loss surgery on NHS, it is important to be in the right frame of mind. With this, you can scale the procedure. NICE stipulates that a patient must be ready to have the procedure under general anesthetic. Also, he should be healthy to endure the pre and post-surgery processes.
- Long-Term Follow-Up: Sometimes, patients shy away from aftercare sessions. The process of getting quality bariatric surgery does not end with the pre-surgery sessions. It is expedient to keep tabs with the session after the surgery. To this end, you only get to take the weight loss surgery on NHS if you consent to long-term follow-up. Apart from attending regular checkups, patients should stick to a healthy lifestyle. For instance, dieting and exercises let you recover fast and achieve your weight loss goals. So you must commit yourself to the process to get an NHS-backing for your weight loss surgical operation.
- Failed Attempts: A weight loss surgery is not the pathway to an hour-glass figure. Before technological developments which brought forth this era, obese individuals have been using exercises to burn calories. However, if you have gone through these (regular exercise and healthy diet) and none paid off, you’re welcome to have your surgery on NHS. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) stipulates that qualification to weight loss surgery on NHS is available to patients who couldn’t keep off weight using other methods like exercising.
Available Weight Loss Surgery
It is imperative to find out what you’re getting into. There are over six (6) bariatric surgeries. Out of this lot, the three (3) major procedures are what you get to choose from on NHS. Most times, patients want to find out the most “safest” procedure. It is also important to note that all these procedures are equal. None is superior to the other. They all have the tendency to take off those “unwanted” kilos of flesh from your body. Yet, they have their bad sides. You might experience complications. But that should not worry you. The chances of the procedure going wrong are few.
If you want to get the weight loss surgery on NHS, you will be making your selection from three (3) distinct procedures. First, you can choose the sleeve gastrectomy (gastric sleeve). The procedure lets the surgeon remove some parts of the stomach. In the end, you’ll have a banana-shaped stomach that contains fewer foods.
Second, you can settle for a gastric band. The procedure does not involve stomach removal. Rather, a band will be placed around the stomach. The idea is to restrict food intake. You will be left with fewer foods to take in.
Finally, the third weight loss surgery you can get on NHS is the gastric bypass. The procedure entails removing the top of the stomach. Afterward, this is joined to the small intestine.
In a nutshell, you get access to these three bariatric surgeries on NHS. Even so, a patient that wants to take on other weight loss surgeries can fund it. The National Health Service (NHS) supports these three (3) procedures because of their speedy processing and fewer risks.
Life after Weight Loss Surgery
One point to note is that your lifestyle will “not be the same”. Old friends might take leave of you. The family could isolate you. But in the midst of these, you chose the right path to your weight loss goals. That’s what matters. These procedures have underlying risks. For instance, you can have blood clots, gallstones, dumping syndrome or have a shortage of vitamins and minerals. It is important to watch out for the signs and consult your doctor on time.
There are lots of clinics that you can get the procedure done with coverage from NHS. Ask yourself why hundreds of people around the world have flown to Weight Loss Riga to get a weight loss surgery. We offer professional counseling and our weight loss surgical operations are superb. We help you set off a new path in your weight loss journey. Above all, the decision of your General Practitioner (GP) determines if you get to come here. So make sure you fulfill all requirements of getting the weight loss surgery on NHS. Then give us a call at Weight Loss Riga to book an appointment!