Specialist Obesity and Bariatric team win national award after transforming service

A pioneering new NHS service in Yorkshire that is redesigning how people access obesity and bariatric care has won a national innovation award, after tackling long‑standing inequalities and delays in treatment.

The Specialist Obesity and Bariatric Service (SOBS) at Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust received the ‘Improved Treatment, Therapies and Rehabilitation’ award at the Medipex Innovation Awards 2026.

The service was developed after clinicians identified that the traditional tiered pathway for bariatric care, where patients moved sequentially through multiple stages before surgery, had become fragmented, slow, inequitable and provided difficulty for patients.

In response, the team introduced a radically simplified model, allowing patients to be referred directly into a single, integrated specialist service, cutting through complexity and bringing the right expertise together from the outset.

Despite launching only in June 2025, early findings suggest the model is drastically delivering faster access to care for patients along with offering more coordinated support and enhanced care experience.

At the heart of the new approach is expertise from Bariatric Surgery, Clinical Psychology, Dietetics, Endocrinology and Physiotherapy working together to support patients throughout their journey.

Patients also benefit from a 12‑week pre‑surgery group programme, designed to provide both clinical preparation and psychological support – helping improve readiness for surgery while accelerating treatment timelines.

Dr Joanne Quinn, Consultant Clinical Psychologist and service lead, said:

It is a real honour to be named winners in our category at the Medipex Innovation Awards. This recognition reflects the hard work and determination to improve what we knew wasn’t working in the old pathways, so we could deliver the care our patients truly need.

This award means a great deal to us, and we hope it helps shine a light on the importance of supporting care for people living with obesity.”

Alongside winning the award, the team is also celebrating its planned move to a new base at Dewsbury and District Hospital.

The base will be officially opened in July at a celebration event attended by representatives from NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) and Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust, recognising the partnership working that has made the service possible.

SOBS team