Bariatric, Obesity and Diabetes Surgery

About this service

The Royal Cornwall Hospital Bariatric, Obesity and Diabetes Surgery Service supports patients to lose weight through changes in lifestyle, medication, and surgical intervention when other methods of weight loss have failed to achieve sustainable weight loss and/or improvement in obesity related health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, or obstructive sleep apnoea (stop breathing during your sleep).

Bariatric surgery is a major operation. Undergoing this form of surgery is a decision that should not be taken without serious consideration. Surgery is a tool to assist weight loss. It requires a sustained level of motivation, and a combination of healthy eating and longer-term lifestyle changes to be successful. Surgery is only considered if you’re unable to lose weight and sustain that weight loss through a healthy diet, exercise and medical treatment. 

Bariatric Surgery is proven to produce substantial, maintained weight loss, which is vital in significantly reducing the risk of serious health problems as well as improving quality of life in patients who follow the dietary and lifestyle recommendations.

Our multidisciplinary team work together to carefully educate and assess each person to ensure individuals have a good understanding of the operations available to them. Ensuring they are aware of the process, the effects of the operations and have the commitment and motivation to work with the surgery to get a good result, whether that is weight loss or improvement in obesity related medical conditions.

Our multidisciplinary team consists of endocrinologists with a specialist interest in obesity, dietitians, psychologists, activity specialist, nurses, surgeons, anaesthetists and coordinator all of whom support you as you progress through the service.

We provide long-term support following surgery to make sure weight loss and good health are maintained.

Check if you’re eligible

To access this service your GP will need to refer you to the weight management service. To be eligible to be referred for bariatric surgery you will need to meet the referral criteria:

  • BMI (Body Mass index) over 40 kg/m²
  • BMI over 35 kg/m² with an obesity related medical condition that can be improved with weight loss (for example, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, obstructive sleep apnoea, gastro oesophageal reflux disease
  • BMI over 30 kg/m² with new onset type 2 diabetes.

Support group

The Service runs a monthly support group, these take place on the third Wednesday of the month between 7pm and 8pm. For further information please contact the Bariatric Coordinator on the telephone number below.

Psychology

We work with this service to help people deal with the health challenges they face by providing psychological assessment, guidance and intervention. We work alongside patients and their care teams to help reduce suffering, increase resilience and improve physical and mental health.

This includes:

  • helping to make treatment, surgery or rehabilitation more effective
  • helping patients adjust to, manage or recover from illness, injury or disability
  • helping patients, and their care teams, make decisions about their health.

Contact information

Where to find us

This service has several locations. All instructions and directions will be provided to you in your appointment letters; please read them carefully before attending.

Information about obesity

This content is supplied by the NHS website nhs.uk

Professional careers in surgery

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Page last reviewed: 17 October 2023

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