Bariatric Surgery

The Central Region Metabolic and Bariatric Service (CRMBS) is provided at Wellington Hospital for the District Health Board’s in the lower half of the North Island including Capital & Coast, Hutt Valley, Wairarapa, MidCentral, Whanganui and Hawke’s Bay.

People with obesity should be referred only if they express an interest in pursuing surgery as an option for management. They should be well informed and willing to institute lifestyle changes relating to eating behaviour and exercise.

Information guides:

Bariatric Surgery - a guide for patients

Gastrectomy sleeve booklet

 

Information for referrers

Information for referrers to Bariatric Surgery

  1. Discuss with the patient:
    a) obesity factors
    b) bariatric surgery, including risks and impact on life
    c) commitment to long-term behaviour change
    d) readiness for surgery
  2. Note smoking status
  3. Note previous weight loss attempts by any other non-surgical means; successfully losing 5% of body weight.
  4. Complete the referral including the information from the template.

Referral for FSA for Bariatric Surgery template

Note: this information is essential for access to surgery assessment. The referral may be in whatever format the provider usually uses so long as it incorporates the essential information outlined in the referral template.

Management of concurrent medical conditions should be optimised prior to referral (for example: diabetes, OSAS, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia etc).

Patients should complete the health questionnaire and this must be included in the referral.

Bariatric Surgery Health questionnaire

All regional referrals in the first instance are reviewed and prioritised by the DHB where the patient is domiciled.