OBJECTIVES: Bariatric surgery (BaS) is an effective treatment option for patients with obesity, but it is a treatment intervention that requires a significant amount of staff and infrastructure resources. It was estimated that only 0.4% of the eligible population in the UK can receive BaS on the annual basis. The practical limitations associated with scaling up BaS capacity to an increasing patient population with obesity should be understood by the healthcare system. This research aims to produce insights for an economic model that estimates the economic investment of scaling up BaS.

METHODS: 45-minute qualitative online interviews were held by IQVIA during February 2023 with five Key Decision-Makers (KDMs) working in BaS within the UK. The KDMs had experience in the setup/management/expansion of a new/current BaS clinic within NHS England. Questions were asked around infrastructure costs and resource utilisation needed.

RESULTS: New BaS clinic set-up or expansion requires multiple resources; and building costs and salaries are anticipated to be the most expensive. Expansion of current infrastructure is anticipated to be faster and cheaper than a new clinical site. Without additional funding, current capacity of BaS is considered at a maximum due to limited resources and patient backlog resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Economic incentives for staff and BaS clinics/facilities could drive additional capacity in the current system with 10-20% investment leading to 10% capacity increase. However, it is understood that expanding BaS is currently a low priority within the NHS.

CONCLUSIONS: Expansion of BaS within the NHS is seen as a significant challenge, as any expansion of capacity would require additional investment and the likelihood of this is limited due to the understood low priority of BaS. However, this research highlights opportunities such as staff economic incentives and clinic expansion where limited investment would have a significant impact in scaling up BaS capacity.