Review of morbid obesity surgical services in the Yorkshire and Humber region

The NHS organisations in Yorkshire and the Humber region have reviewed the criteria for funding surgery for people who are morbidly obese.

The NHS organisations in Yorkshire and the Humber region are working together to review the criteria for funding surgery for individuals who are morbidly obese.

This surgery is often referred to as bariatric surgery, which could include gastric band or gastric bypass surgery and is a recommended treatment option for people who are morbidly obese. This means that their body weight poses a severe risk to their health, which could mean that they have a reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems.

We are taking into account recent guidelines issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), which considers the clinical effectiveness of treatment, money saved due to the reduction in weight after surgery and any costs of aftercare.

It is also very important that we understand public views and we have worked with patients, carers, members of the public, health care professionals and a number of organisations to get their opinions. This included carrying out a questionnaire and a series of focus groups across the Yorkshire and the Humber region between October 2010 and January 2011.

Details of the responses and the main issues and feedback obtained have been written up as a report . These are being used to shape recommendations on how morbid obesity surgical services should be commissioned.

We would like to thank patients, carers and members of the public for the time they have taken to participate in this engagement work. Everyone who took part will be kept up to date as the outcome of this work and further information will also be on the website of the Specialist Commissioning Group, which is coordinating the review on behalf of all the PCTs in Yorkshire and the Humber.