Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations he has received on complications experienced by some patients including pain and difficulty swallowing food after weight-loss surgery; and what steps he plans to take in response to those representations.

The National Registry for Bariatric Surgery collects a range of outcomes data including complications through the national clinical reference group. However, commissioners do not ask for data on these specific symptoms.

If a patient experiences post-surgical issues they should seek advice from their doctor. The symptoms described can occur after any type of gastric surgery and are not necessarily related to surgery specific for obesity.