The GIRFT programme is seeking expressions of interest in a new role as clinical lead for bariatric surgery, to establish and lead a dedicated workstream focused on improving bariatric and metabolic surgery services across England.
Bariatric surgery has previously sat within the GIRFT general surgery workstream, but GIRFT has seen wide variation in bariatric activity between local areas which does not correlate with the prevalence of obesity, indicating inequity in access rather than differences in need.
The establishment of a dedicated GIRFT national bariatric programme aims to improve the end-to-end obesity and bariatric pathway, providing a consistent framework to support systems to reduce unwarranted variation, improve access and equity, and strengthen delivery – in turn, helping to ease pressure on elective, urgent, and emergency care.
Expressions of interest are invited from senior clinicians with a background in bariatric or metabolic surgery, or in the medical management of obesity, with national standing in the field. Applicants may be surgeons or physicians; what matters is deep expertise in the bariatric pathway, credibility with the clinical community, and a track record of delivering improvement at scale. Formal endorsement from a relevant specialty body (such as the British Obesity and Metabolic Surgery Society) is required.
The role will be appointed via a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the post-holder’s substantive NHS trust at two programmed activities (PAs) per week, initially until March 2027 with the potential to extend (subject to approval).
How to express an interest
Expressions of interest should be submitted as a short CV and a covering letter outlining your experience and suitability for the role to benjamin.collins12@nhs.net.
The application deadline is 5pm on 31 August 2026 and interviews will be held on 15 September 2026.
Obesity is a chronic, complex disease associated with morbidity, premature mortality, and rising demand on health services. The Health Survey for England estimated that 29% of adults were living with obesity in 2022, with prevalence predicted to continue rising, including among younger populations.
Metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) is one of the most effective and cost-effective treatments for severe obesity, but access to bariatric surgery in England remains limited – around 30,000 people accessed bariatric surgery between 2017 and 2023, while the number of people who could clinically benefit is estimated at one million.
Professor Tim Briggs, GIRFT programme lead and NHS England National Director for Clinical Improvement, Elective Recovery and UEC, said:
"Through our general surgery workstream, we have seen the scale of unmet need for bariatric surgery, the degree of unwarranted variation and the growing strategic importance of obesity management to elective recovery and population health.
In a rapidly changing landscape, with the increased availability of GLP1 medications, this dedicated GIRFT bariatric surgery workstream will provide a consistent national approach - fully joined up with primary care, secondary care and community health - which will support systems to improve access, equity and outcomes while maximising the value of existing capacity."
GIRFT has recently published two new resources to support improvement in bariatric surgery services:
Once established, the GIRFT workstream is expected to expand to include a bariatric surgeon, physician, clinical nurse specialist, dietitian, and psychologist.
