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Partial stomach removal - the sleeve, done with the aftercare.

Sleeve gastrectomy removes around three-quarters of the stomach - resetting hunger hormones as much as portion size - and is now the most performed weight-loss operation in the world. Typical results: 25–30% of total body weight lost, diabetes improved or in remission for most.

See indicative pricing
A radiographer guides a patient onto the bed of an advanced 3 Tesla MRI scanner in a London imaging suite

Indicative pricing

What a private gastric sleeve costs in the UK.

Indicative all-in package ranges across our partner bariatric units - surgery, stay and structured follow-up included.

In short

£10,000–£13,500 all-in, home after 1–2 nights.

Service Indicative range
Bariatric surgeon consultation £200–£350
Full MDT work-up (dietitian, psychology, bloods, sleep screen) £600–£1,200
Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy - package £10,000–£13,500
Gastric bypass - package (for comparison) £11,500–£15,500
Revision surgery (sleeve to bypass) £13,000–£18,000
Extended aftercare (year 2+: dietitian and bloods) £300–£600 / year

Compare packages carefully: the headline price should include the work-up, surgery, hospital stay, and at least a year of dietetic follow-up - the cheapest quotes usually strip out the aftercare that determines the result. UK insurers rarely cover bariatric surgery, so this is mostly a self-pay decision; NHS surgery exists but with strict criteria and long tier-pathway waits.

The problem

The right operation, a real work-up, and aftercare that is actually there.

Weight-loss surgery goes wrong in predictable ways - sleeves sold to reflux sufferers, work-ups skipped for speed, and aftercare that evaporates after the invoice. We fix all three.

  • Sleeve or bypass - decided on your body

    Reflux, diabetes severity and previous surgery genuinely change the right answer. The choice is made in assessment, never by brochure.

  • A work-up worth the name

    Dietetics, psychology, sleep screening and bloods before any date is booked - the difference between an operation and a programme.

  • Follow-up in the contract

    Twelve months of structured reviews, vitamins and bloods written into the package - because the follow-up, not the stapler, decides year five.

When it helps

When sleeve gastrectomy is the right step.

The situations we see most, plus the one red flag after surgery that needs the unit immediately rather than a routine call.

  • BMI 35+, and diets that will not hold

    The core indication - significant obesity where structured diet, exercise and medication have not produced lasting change. Surgery is the most effective durable treatment we have.

  • Type 2 diabetes with obesity

    Bariatric surgery puts type 2 diabetes into remission in roughly half of patients and improves control in most others - for many, the strongest single reason to operate.

  • BMI 30–35 with weight-related disease

    Diabetes, hypertension or sleep apnoea lower the threshold - as do adjusted criteria for people of South Asian and some other ethnic backgrounds.

  • Sleep apnoea, joints, fertility

    Obstructive sleep apnoea, arthritic knees awaiting replacement, PCOS-related infertility - conditions that improve substantially with major weight loss.

  • Weight regained after every diet

    The biology of weight regain defeats willpower alone. The sleeve changes the biology - hunger hormones included - which is why it outperforms every diet studied.

  • GLP-1 medication reached its ceiling

    Weight-loss injections help many, but plateau, cost or side effects lead some to surgery - a conversation we host honestly in both directions.

  • When bypass fits better

    Significant reflux, or the strongest diabetes-remission need, tilt the choice to gastric bypass. Part of our job is making sure you hear that before choosing a sleeve.

  • Red flag: fever and racing heart after surgery

    In the first two weeks, fever, a fast heartbeat, worsening abdominal or shoulder-tip pain can signal a staple-line leak - contact the unit or A&E immediately, day or night.

Procedure options

Sleeve, bypass, or medication - the honest menu.

The sleeve is the most performed option, not the only one. What matters is matching the tool to your health, your reflux and your goals.

  • Sleeve gastrectomy

    Around 75–80% of the stomach removed, leaving a narrow tube. Restriction plus hormonal hunger reduction; no rerouting of the bowel. The world’s most performed bariatric operation.

  • Gastric bypass (Roux-en-Y)

    A small pouch rerouted past most of the stomach and upper bowel. Slightly greater average weight loss, the best option for reflux, and the strongest diabetes data.

  • Mini (one-anastomosis) bypass

    A simpler bypass variant with comparable results in many series - offered in several of our partner units for the right anatomy.

  • Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty

    The stomach stitched smaller from inside, no incisions - less weight loss than surgery, but a genuine option for lower BMIs or those declining surgery.

  • GLP-1 medications

    Semaglutide and tirzepatide achieve 15–20% weight loss for many - transformative, though weight typically returns when stopped. Increasingly the honest first conversation.

  • Gastric band

    Largely historical - high long-term removal rates mean few UK units still recommend it. We say so plainly.

  • Revision surgery

    A sleeve troubled by reflux or weight regain can be converted to bypass - specialist work, planned in high-volume units only.

  • The operation is the start, not the treatment

    Every option above succeeds or fails on the follow-up behind it - dietetics, vitamins, bloods and honest reviews. That is the part we refuse to unbundle.

Safety and recovery

What to expect afterwards - honestly.

The sleeve is safe by the standards of major surgery - and it is major surgery, permanent by design. The honest ledger covers leaks, reflux, nutrition and the reality of year three.

  • Keyhole surgery, 1–2 nights in

    60–90 minutes under GA, walking within hours, home after a night or two. Serious complications affect a small minority in high-volume units.

  • Staple-line leak - the one to know

    The most feared early complication, affecting around 1% or less in experienced hands. Fever, racing heart and worsening pain in the first fortnight mean the unit, immediately.

  • Bleeding and clots

    Staple-line bleeding occasionally needs re-look surgery; DVT and PE prophylaxis is standard, with early walking your best protection.

  • Reflux - the sleeve’s long shadow

    Heartburn worsens or appears anew in roughly one in five sleeve patients over the years; a minority eventually convert to bypass for it. Pre-existing reflux is why some should choose bypass first.

  • Nutrition, for life

  • What you can expect to lose

    Typically 55–70% of excess weight - around 25–30% of total body weight - with the steepest loss in the first year. Diabetes, blood pressure and sleep apnoea improve early and substantially.

  • Regain, honestly

    Some regain from year two onward is common; significant regain affects a minority. The counter-measures are follow-up, dietetics and sometimes medication - which is why aftercare is half the operation.

  • Pregnancy, alcohol and mind

    Pregnancy should wait 12–18 months; alcohol hits harder and addiction-transfer is real; mood needs watching in year one. Psychology support is part of proper care, not an optional extra.

  • Red flags after surgery

    Fever, heart rate over 120, worsening abdominal pain, breathlessness, or inability to keep fluids down need the unit or A&E the same day - every patient leaves with a 24-hour number.

Reading your operation note

Your operation note in four parts. Read the last one first.

A UK bariatric surgeon reviewing a patient’s operation notes

A quiet reminder

Bariatric notes are bougie sizes and staple heights - we translate them for you.

If you would like us to talk you through your operation note or your eating-stage plan before your review, just ask.

  1. 01 Header

    Indication, BMI and operation performed

    Your starting weight and BMI, the health conditions driving surgery, and confirmation of the laparoscopic sleeve with any additional findings.

  2. 02 Technique

    Bougie size and staple line

    The calibration tube size, stapling detail and any reinforcement used, plus the leak test performed before closing - the engineering of your sleeve.

  3. 03 Findings

    What else was seen

    The liver, any hiatus hernia repaired alongside, and anything sent to histology - context for symptoms later.

  4. 04 Impression

    Eating stages, vitamins and reviews

    Read this first: your week-by-week food stages, the vitamin regimen, clot-prevention doses, and every follow-up date for the year ahead.

Recognised by major UK insurers

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Most UK private medical insurance policies exclude bariatric surgery, so sleeve gastrectomy is usually self-funded - which is why we insist on transparent all-in packages with aftercare included. Where obesity-related conditions are covered in their own right, we make sure that cover is used.

Frequently asked

Everything we get asked about the gastric sleeve.

Quick answers on eligibility, weight loss, reflux, eating afterwards, GLP-1 drugs and cost.

  • How much of the stomach is actually removed?

    Around 75–80%. The outer curve of the stomach is stapled off and removed, leaving a narrow sleeve about the size and shape of a banana. The removal is permanent - and deliberate: the removed portion produces most of the hunger hormone ghrelin, which is why appetite falls so noticeably after surgery, not just capacity.

  • Do I qualify for weight-loss surgery?

    UK practice broadly follows NICE: a BMI of 35 or more, or 30-plus with a weight-related condition such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension or sleep apnoea - with lower thresholds for people of South Asian, Chinese, Black African and Caribbean backgrounds - after genuine attempts at non-surgical weight management. Private care applies the same medical criteria without the NHS tier-pathway wait.

  • How much weight will I lose?

    Most sleeve patients lose 55–70% of their excess weight - roughly 25–30% of total body weight - with the fastest loss in the first six months and the total reached by 12–18 months. Someone starting at 120kg typically settles around 85–90kg. The spread is wide, and follow-up attendance is the best predictor of landing at the good end of it.

  • What about the sleeve and acid reflux?

    This is the sleeve’s honest weakness: reflux worsens or newly appears in roughly one in five patients over the years, and a small minority later convert to gastric bypass because of it.

  • Should I just take a weight-loss injection instead?

    For some, genuinely yes - GLP-1 medications like semaglutide and tirzepatide deliver 15–20% weight loss for many people and are worth considering first. Their limits: cost continues indefinitely, side effects are common, and weight typically returns on stopping. Surgery remains the most effective durable option, with the strongest diabetes-remission data. We lay out both routes without a stake in either.

  • How much does a private sleeve cost - and what should the price include?

    Expect £10,000–£13,500 all-in from a reputable UK unit. That figure should include the multidisciplinary work-up, the operation and stay, and at least twelve months of dietetic follow-up - quotes far below this usually strip out the aftercare that determines your result, or route surgery abroad without local emergency cover.

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