About us

Bedfordshire Metabolic Institute is currently one of the largest specialist bariatric centres accredited by the NHS to provide medical and surgical management for people living with obesity across the East of England region. The service was established in 2001 and has grown substantially in recent years, performing over 400 weight loss surgeries annually.

Alongside providing weight loss surgery, we are one of the largest NHS Tier 3 weight management providers in the country, regularly working with a range of stakeholders to develop innovative and personalised care pathways to support the increasing demand across the country.

Bedfordshire Hospitals is one of only a few centres in the United Kingdom performing robotic bariatric surgery and offering a range of endoscopic procedures and pioneering evidence-based care for bariatric complications. As a teaching Hospital we are committed to training and have developed a well-established and sought-after Bariatric Fellowship role.

Colleagues from the centre led the development for a national database on emergency revisional surgery and have presented nationally on this. Experts from the centre initiated and regularly contribute to a national bariatric training programme for future surgeons and lead on research projects both nationally and internationally.

Bedfordshire Hospitals is also one of the best performing centres for Enhanced Recovery (ERAS) and regularly provides national training and mentorship to share best practice. We are one of the few centres in the United Kingdom to support same-day discharges after weight loss surgery.

Although eating well and exercising is vital in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, for many people there is an urgent need for medical and surgical intervention. In the UK we have one of the fastest growing rates of obesity in Europe. According to the ‘Obesity Profile’ stated on the Government website for the Office for Health Improvement & disparities, it is estimated that 63.8% of adults aged 18 years and over in England are overweight or living with obesity. More than one in four adults in England (26.2%) are living with obesity. This number is expected to rise significantly in the near future. Obesity and weight management poses a huge risk to the NHS (from both a financial aspect and for the well-being of our patients).