Weight loss (bariatric) surgery
Weight loss surgery (bariatric surgery) is an operation to help people with severe obesity lose weight, used alongside long-term changes to diet and activity. The NHS offers it only when set criteria are met. Read more about weight loss (bariatric) surgery →
If symptoms are sudden, severe or getting worse, contact your GP or NHS 111.
Where are you up to?
The NHS reports waiting times by specialty, not by individual condition, so this is the general surgery wait (not specific to weight loss (bariatric) surgery), updated August 2026. Enter a postcode to see the hospitals near you.
general surgery waiting times by hospital
| Trust | Location | Typical wait |
|---|---|---|
| Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust | Tameside | 3 weeks |
| The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust | Harlow | 4 weeks |
| Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust | Reading | 5 weeks |
| Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust | Kirklees | 6 weeks |
| The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust | Kensington and Chelsea | 6 weeks |
| Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | Milton Keynes | 6 weeks |
| County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust | Darlington | 6 weeks |
| Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust | North Tyneside | 6 weeks |
About weight loss (bariatric) surgery
Weight loss surgery, also called bariatric surgery, is a group of operations that help people living with severe obesity to lose weight. The main types are a gastric band (a band around the stomach), a gastric bypass (joining the top of the stomach to the small intestine) and a sleeve gastrectomy (removing part of the stomach). It works alongside, not instead of, long-term changes to eating and activity.
How it is treated
Surgery is usually keyhole and is one part of a longer programme that includes assessment, diet and lifestyle support before and after the operation. Which operation suits you is decided with the specialist service. It is a major, lifelong change, so the decision is made carefully with the specialist service.
After treatment
Most people lose a significant amount of weight over the months and years after surgery, and conditions such as type 2 diabetes can improve. It needs lifelong follow-up, vitamin supplements and a changed way of eating, and carries the usual risks of a major operation.
Sources: NHS: Weight loss surgery. Last updated October 2026.
When the NHS will and will not treat it
The NHS offers weight loss surgery only when specific criteria are met, which generally means a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or more, or 35 or more with a serious weight-related condition such as type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure, and usually after other ways to lose weight have been tried.
Lower thresholds can apply for some people, for example those of certain ethnic backgrounds or with recent type 2 diabetes.
If you do not meet the NHS criteria, weight loss surgery is available privately.
Source: NHS: Weight loss surgery →
General information only, not medical advice. Wait or Pay is independent and is not the NHS. Your GP decides what care, if any, you need.