Gastric bypass surgery at Spire Bushey Hospital

Spire Bushey is one of north London and Hertfordshire’s leading private hospitals and we take pride in delivering high-quality care. We have a choice of bariatric surgeons (consultants specialising in weight loss surgery) who perform gastric bypass surgery to help you lose weight when diet and exercise haven’t worked. Over 80% of our patients lose more than 80% of their excess body weight after gastric bypass surgery.

Your consultant will work alongside a psychologist, a dietitian and an anaesthetist to ensure you get the right treatment and aftercare.

You will receive support from our dietitian who runs a monthly support group. You'll also have consultations and access to them via email, telephone and our private weight loss surgery Facebook group.

Getting here

Spire Bushey Hospital is situated within easy access to the M1/M25 motorways, underground and overground train stations. There’s free parking on-site for you and your visitors.

Your consultations

Your initial consultation will take place at Spire Bushey Hospital which offers the latest facilities and diagnostics. Your consultant will discuss your medical history with you and explain your different options. There will 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 dietitian 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)
• Blood tests
• Endoscopy

Your gastric bypass surgery takes one to three hours, but you’ll stay in hospital for between two to five days afterwards. You’ll have a comfortable, private room with all the comforts and conveniences you’d expect to find at home.

On the day of your operation, there will be a chance to meet your anaesthetist and the surgical team. You’ll have a general anaesthetic for the operation, which involves your surgeon reducing the size of your stomach and connecting it to the lower part of your small intestine.

If you’ve come with a friend or family member, they’re welcome to wait in your room while you have your operation.

After surgery, our nursing team will give you pain relief to help you deal with any discomfort from the surgery.

Once you leave hospital, we’ll have follow-up appointments with you every three months for a year following the operation. You'll also be invited to join our monthly support group. You'll have private consultations with our dietitian and access to them via email, telephone and our private weight loss surgery Facebook group.

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