Scotland anyone???

[valentine]

I I have a friend in Scotland that is having huge problems even getting referred to see a bariatric surgeon by her GP..
Was wondering if any of the Scottish members have any information that I could pass on

Many thanks in advance x

 

[weegie]

I I have a friend in Scotland that is having huge problems even getting referred to see a bariatric surgeon by her GP..
Was wondering if any of the Scottish members have any information that I could pass on

Many thanks in advance x

Hi I think it varies depending on which area you live in but bariatric services in Scotland are abyssmal. A lucky few get ops. First stop is your GP, and ask to be referred to weight management services if there are any nearby. I have a family member going at the moment. Talk of surgey is way down the line after jumping through all the loops so same as England in that respect.

I had to self fund, first for my band and then for my revision to bypass. The GP that I have now was sympathetic but the service just wasnt there for me.

Only advice is to keep asking, a lot of money was diverted from the NHS here to the Commonwealth Games. Bariatric services seems to be one of the areas affected.

 

[weegie]

Just adding a link to a recent story about wls in Scotland. The article is trying to show how much is 'wasted' on this but in reality the numbers are over 5 years and if you look at the total number of ops its is woeful. It is only at the end that some justification of cost is made.

http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.c...nds-7m-on-scots-weight-loss-surgery-1-3621352

It also gives some idea by region as to how the land lies.

 

[kurstywursty]

There is no great wealth of experienced surgeons in Scotland either. I had one of the most experienced. Mr Galloway but he has since retired. In retrospect, knowing what I know now. I would have gone to Belgium - prices are greAt and very experienced surgeons. Chances of NHS funding are low. Need a BMI of over 40 I believe and. Read somewhere that they do less than 50 WLS ops per year. I paid 6.5k to the Nuffield in Glasgow but when they were talking about replacing my hand there was not one surgeon within my provider who had any previous experience :-(

 

[weegie]

There is no great wealth of experienced surgeons in Scotland either. I had one of the most experienced. Mr Galloway but he has since retired. In retrospect, knowing what I know now. I would have gone to Belgium - prices are greAt and very experienced surgeons. Chances of NHS funding are low. Need a BMI of over 40 I believe and. Read somewhere that they do less than 50 WLS ops per year. I paid 6.5k to the Nuffield in Glasgow but when they were talking about replacing my hand there was not one surgeon within my provider who had any previous experience :-(

Did you read that article I posted above Kirsty. The figures are over 5 years. No way can any surgeon get real experience with a share of those figures. E.g. Average of 1 op a week over 5 years in Edinburgh and Glasgow.. Not done by a single surgeon.. So, think about it. What we need is a UK centre of excellence .. Only politics gets in the way.
Private surgery in UK is overpriced, whatever the discipline. My Belgian experience of two ops was excellent, its not cheap, it's the going rate over there, its just cheaper than UK.

There was talk about setting up a bariatric unit at the Golden Jubilee, thats a few years ago.. They still haven't hired anyone to head the unit. Shameful. Obesity is rising here. Ps they also have a cut-off of age 60 I believe.

 

[valentine]

Did you read that article I posted above Kirsty. The figures are over 5 years. No way can any surgeon get real experience with a share of those figures. E.g. Average of 1 op a week over 5 years in Edinburgh and Glasgow.. Not done by a single surgeon.. So, think about it. What we need is a UK centre of excellence .. Only politics gets in the way. Private surgery in UK is overpriced, whatever the discipline. My Belgian experience of two ops was excellent, its not cheap, it's the going rate over there, its just cheaper than UK. There was talk about setting up a bariatric unit at the Golden Jubilee, thats a few years ago.. They still haven't hired anyone to head the unit. Shameful. Obesity is rising here. Ps they also have a cut-off of age 60 I believe.

Thank you for replys...
Seems that she is not alone in her struggle..

I've told her to self pay in Belgium if she can afford private as it is much cheaper and generally very experienced surgeons.

Seems that Scotland has a lot of catching up to do xx

 

[weegie]

Thank you for replys... Seems that she is not alone in her struggle.. I've told her to self pay in Belgium if she can afford private as it is much cheaper and generally very experienced surgeons. Seems that Scotland has a lot of catching up to do xx

Wish her al the best, no harm in trying. You could always point her here for any soecific queries and general support

 

[Crackers169]

Hi! In my experience it is very difficult to get bariatric surgery on the NHS in Scotland but not impossible. I decided I couldn't wait and went private. The Edinburgh Weightloss Surgeons are great and you get 24/7 access to a nurse before and after the op, and follow ups with the dietician for at least a year. I had a sleeve in 2011 and my friend had a bypass last year. They weren't cheap but worth every penny to me.

 

[valentine]

Hi! In my experience it is very difficult to get bariatric surgery on the NHS in Scotland but not impossible. I decided I couldn't wait and went private. The Edinburgh Weightloss Surgeons are great and you get 24/7 access to a nurse before and after the op, and follow ups with the dietician for at least a year. I had a sleeve in 2011 and my friend had a bypass last year. They weren't cheap but worth every penny to me.

I think she will end up going private as she is really getting nowhere at all xx