Gastric bypass surgery at Spire Leeds Hospital

Spire Leeds was the first private hospital in the North of England to perform gastric bypass surgery and has been performing weight loss surgery for just under 30 years. The procedure was pioneered by Mr Steve Pollard who trained in the USA and went on to perform over 3000 operations at Spire Leeds.

We now undertake among the highest number of weight loss operations of any hospital in the North of England. We have a team of five bariatric surgeons who all undertake gastric bypass surgery. We also offer leading plastic and reconstructive surgeons who undertake the body lifting procedures which many gastric bypass surgery patients choose to have following significant weight loss.

We're able to treat patients with a BMI of up to 100 due to our high dependency unit. You’ll have all the facilities you’d expect from a private hospital, in a clean, comfortable environment.

After your operation, you’ll have expert aftercare from our team of nurses, dietitians and psychologists.

Getting here

Spire Leeds Hospital is situated just off Leeds main A6120 ring road, approximately three miles from Leeds city centre. The hospital is accessible via public transport (bus) or we're 15 minutes by car from the city centre and the mainline railway station. There’s free parking on-site for you and your visitors.

Your consultations

Your first appointment will take place in one of our 17 consulting rooms. Your consultant will discuss your medical history with you and explain your different options. There’ll be plenty of time to ask any questions. You’ll be able to talk about:

• What surgery involves – they may recommend gastric sleeve surgery to begin with
• What’s included in your treatment costs
• Your anaesthetic and how it might affect you
• Any potential complications and risks of surgery
• What’s involved in your recovery, including your aftercare plan which includes changes to your diet and lifestyle

If you decide you’d like to go ahead with a gastric bypass, you’ll meet a pre-assessment nurse so they can further assess if surgery is right for you. You'll also need to have a pre-operative assessment which may include:

• An electrocardiogram (ECG)
• Sleep apnoea test

On the day of your surgery:

• You’ll be able to meet your anaesthetics and surgical team
• You’ll have a general anaesthetic so you'll be asleep
• Once it's taken effect, your surgeon will begin the operation to reduce the size of your stomach
• They’ll then connect it to the lower part of your small intestine

The procedure takes between one and three hours. If you’ve come with a friend or family member, they’re welcome to wait in your room while you have your operation.

You’ll stay in hospital for around one to three days after your surgery. You’ll have your own large en-suite room. All of our 88 private rooms have:

• TV
• Window
• Armchair
• WiFi
• Wardrobe

While you’re in hospital, your nursing team will give you pain relief as and when you need it to make sure you’re comfortable.

After you leave hospital, we’ll arrange to see you for follow-up appointments for two years after so we can keep track of your progress and ensure you’re recovering and losing weight as intended. You'll also receive support from a dietitian, with four appointments in your first year after surgery.

Although everyone’s different, here’s a typical recovery guide for gastric bypass surgery: