Can I get a gastric bypass on the NHS?

Can I get a gastric bypass on the NHS?

NHS weight loss surgery.

Answer: Weight loss surgery is available on the NHS for people who meet certain criteria.

• These include: you have a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or more
• or a BMI between 35 and 40 and an obesity-related condition that might improve if you lost weight (such as type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure)
• Where I live before you are referred to the bariatric services you have to attend a food for thought group which runs for 12 weeks and I’m 5 weeks in its terribly boring because I feel like ‘ I know all this already!!! But I will continue to go and once I have completed they say I will be referred to the bariatric service so my question really is what happens next?? What are the timescales who do I see?
• I have had to see dieticians, a psychotherapist, follow a 12 weeks food nutrition and exercise regime/classes, plus I have been seeing a personal health trainer for almost a year.
• I also had to see a bariatric doctor last August (who visited the area and saw lots of patients) who assessed if I was ‘right’ for surgery. After seeing him I had to wait for my referral to Luton and Dunstable which I received in January this year.

My first appointment I was seen by a nurse who took blood etc, I then had an ECG, I then saw a man who assesses if you’re a good candidate (I cannot remember his title sorry). That visit to the hospital was just over 3 hours long. My last appointment was April, I saw the nurse, followed by the dietitian who explained about the low-calorie liquid diet, followed by the psychologist who needs to ensure that you’re mentally prepared etc. Two days after seeing the team I started the liquid diet, I have 3-4 pints of semi-skimmed milk a day, I take a multivitamin, I am meant to have 1 or 2 salty drinks a day although I struggle like mad with them as they make me gag, I’m also supposed to drink 2 litres of water a day. I go back to LAD the second week of June at which point I will have been on the milk diet for 5.5 weeks. It hasn’t been as bad as I thought it would be as luckily I don’t really suffer from head hunger aka cravings and I’ve also lost about 10kg so far using this method. I can have sugar free jelly too if I want it but as I hate sweetener with a passion it’s just not for me.