Patient’s weight loss is testament to team’s success

IT’S celebrations all round after colleagues in Somerset NHS Foundation Trust’s bariatric surgery team learned that the service has been reaccredited as an international ‘Center of Excellence’ by the American-based Surgical Review Corporation (SRC).

- LEWIS CLARKE [e-mail]

Somerset NHS Foundation Trust's bariatric (referring to the field of medicine and surgery focused on the causes, prevention, and treatment of severe obesity) team is made up of five consultant surgeons, two clinicians in psychology, dietitians, and specialist nurses.

‘The team can also draw on the support of our endocrinology service where needed, with colleagues on the inpatient wards and surgical admissions lounge playing an important part too.

‘The multidisciplinary team follows a patient through their entire episode of care, from the very beginning when they are referred by their GP for bariatric surgery, to their recovery and life after surgery, helping them to maintain their weight loss, where they get support from the team for an additional two years.

Dave Pulford from Yeovil is a patient who has been cared for by the bariatric surgery service over the last couple of years.

He said: “In February 2024, I had the new balloon fitted, and in the following months I lost almost five stone on the balloon, to then enable me to have gastric bypass surgery in August 2024.

“Since then, I have lost nearly 13 stone from my heaviest weight.

“The surgeons and support team at Musgrove provided me the tools of both the balloon and bypass surgery to get to this point, but what often gets overlooked is two other things...