Weight-loss surgery on the NHS has surged in England, with thousands more patients turning to the procedures as demand for obesity treatment continues to rise.
Nearly 7,000 operations were carried out in 2024-25 – a three-fold rise in four years – reflecting both growing need and wider access to specialist services.
Bariatric surgery, which includes gastric sleeve and gastric bypass procedures, reduces the size of the stomach so patients feel full sooner and eat less.
It is typically reserved for those with severe obesity who have not been able to lose weight through diet, exercise or medication.
Latest figures show activity has climbed sharply since 2020-21, with around 1,600 more procedures performed in the past year alone.
Of the total, about 6,550 were first-time operations, alongside 353 revision procedures and 129 gastric balloons – a temporary, non-surgical intervention.
The most common operation was sleeve gastrectomy, accounting almost half of all procedures.
This is a major operation that involves removing a large portion of the stomach, leaving behind a narrow, tube-like ‘sleeve’.
The number of patients receiving weight loss surgery on the NHS has more than tripled since 2020-21, the latest data reveals
As well as physically restricting how much a person can eat, the procedure also alters hunger hormones – helping to reduce appetite and improve blood sugar control.
This was followed by gastric bypass, which accounted for 44 per cent of procedures.
In this operation, surgeons create a small pouch at the top of the stomach and connect it directly to the small intestine, bypassing the rest of the stomach and part of the digestive tract.
This means patients not only eat less, but also absorb fewer calories from food – making it one of the most effective procedures for long-term weight loss and improving conditions such as type 2 diabetes.
Patients aged 35 to 44 made up the largest share of cases, at around a third, with those aged 45 to 54 accounting for just over a quarter.
Weight loss operations are only available on the NHS for patients with a body mass index of 40 or above, or slightly lower in those with serious health conditions, and only after other approaches have failed.
Regionally, the North East and North Cumbria carried out the highest number of procedures, with 785 operations in 2024-25 – up sharply from 565 the year before, an increase of just under 40 per cent.
The number of patients receiving weight loss surgery on the NHS has more than tripled since 2020-21, the latest data reveals
Bariatric surgery, commonly known as weight loss surgery, consists of a variety of potential procedures including gastric sleeves, gastric bypass and gastric band. This illustrated example shows a gastric bypass
Other areas with higher rates per 100,000 population included Surrey Heartlands, Frimley, South East London and Sussex.
At the lower end of the scale, six ICBs recorded fewer than five procedures per 100,000 people, including Norfolk and Waveney, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Cheshire and Merseyside, Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, Lincolnshire and Lancashire and South Cumbria.
Lancashire and South Cumbria recorded just 25 procedures in total and NHS data suggests most patients travelled outside their local area for treatment, highlighting cross-boundary access for surgery. On average, patients from the region travelled around 64 km.
The North East and North Cumbria region continues to record some of the highest obesity levels in England, with more than 70 per cent of adults classified as overweight or living with obesity.
Childhood obesity remains a concern, with 24.5 per cent of 10-11-year-olds in the North East and 34.3 per cent of Year 6 children in North Cumbria recorded as having excess weight.
