In line with NHS Scotland recommendations, NHS Grampian supports the position that travelling abroad for surgery without an NHS referral is not recommended and that NHS Scotland is not required to provide pre and post-operative care other than emergency care (NHS Inform).
The British Obesity & Metabolic Surgery Society currently recommend that bariatric surgery is a complex intervention which requires at least 2 years of support from a specialist team with dietetic, nursing, psychological and surgical expertise.
Routine monitoring, routine follow-up and prescribing of associated medicines, immediately after weight loss surgery and for the following two years is the responsibility of the private provider, ideally the practitioner who undertook surgery. This is to ensure the appropriate aftercare for patients who have undergone weight
loss surgery.
During the two-year post-surgical period GP practices are not obliged to provide routine monitoring, routine follow-up, prescribing of alternative formulations of medicines or prescribing of new vitamin/mineral supplementation.
Where a private consultant/service cannot provide routine monitoring, routine follow-up or prescribing of medicines or supplementation it will be the responsibility of individual patients to source these services and prescribed medications/supplements.
Further information
NHS Inform: Surgery abroad without NHS referral | NHS inform
(www.nhsinform.com, search ‘surgery abroad’)
BOMSS: BOMSS statement on going abroad for weight loss surgery
(www.bomss.org search ‘going abroad for weight loss surgery’)