Do you have a problem with your back?

A spinal surgeon is the complete expert on spinal diagnosis and treatment. The spinal surgeon or specialist has the greatest knowledge of how your spine works and is therefore best placed to advise on all possible forms of treatment whether this is physiotherapy, injections, or surgery. More than 90% of our patients are managed successfully without surgery.

No. Many of the people we see self refer. You do not need a letter from your GP. We are most interested in what you have to tell us. However, we do appreciate letters from anyone who has looked after you such as GPs, Physiotherapists, Chiropractors, Osteopaths etc. and will write back to them, summarising your problems, if you wish. This helps to maintain excellent continuity of care.

Yes. We work with most insurance providers. Please call us to confirm that you are covered by your medical insurance.

Immediately. It is often possible to see one of our specialists within 24 hours. Call us and we can advise.

Yes of course. In fact we encourage our patients to come to appointments with a friend. Two heads are always better than one when discussing and considering options.

Absolutely. We make a point of giving our patients as much time as they need and we will always encourage you to ask us questions. Decisions are made in discussion and partnership with you.

No rarely. We see a very broad range of ages from children to great grandparents. Our patients are individuals and we consider them as such. Your overall fitness is much more important than age when considering treatments. We routinely operate on patients well into their eighties and our experience with minimally invasive techniques and advanced regional anaesthetic techniques (avoiding the need for old fashioned general anaesthesia) extends what is possible.

Yes. We have an in house pharmacy and pharmacist and can give you appropriate and effective analgesia if you require.

Yes. We have experienced friendly in house physiotherapists who we work closely with as part of our great team.

Absolutely. We are highly experienced in performing all types of spinal injection from neck to lower back and coccyx. We routinely offer sedation so injections are completely comfortable and stress free. Real time imaging is always used to ensure injections are accurate and safe.

Hopefully not. In more than 90% of cases we are able to resolve problems without the need for surgery. We will always advise what is best for your back and consider surgery a last resort.

Very fast. Typically we can usually arrange simple treatments such as injections within days or surgery within a few weeks.

Yes. We actually specialise in offering day case spinal surgery and the majority of our patients go home on the same day. We are one of a very few places in the UK or indeed the World where this is possible. We achieve this by combining minimal access approaches to the spine with special local and regional anaesthetic techniques avoiding the traditional strong general anaesthesia.

Yes. We always write comprehensive clinic letters which summarise your problems, diagnosis, prognosis, and the best treatment options discussed. We routinely send these letters to your GP and anyone else who has provided you care unless you would prefer otherwise. Most importantly, you will receive these clinic letters which you will find helpful to read and keep. It is often very useful to show these letters to medical practitioners in the future.

No. You are putting your health problems first and choosing to see a first class specialist in a world renowned centre. Our prices are comparable with other Independent health care providers in the UK. We will always be open and transparent about costs so there are no surprises.

Generally not. Unless you have a serious or life threatening spinal problem it is unlikely that the NHS will help you. Back pain is not a treatment priority in the NHS due to cost and resources. You are unlikely to be offered an MRI in the NHS for uncomplicated sounding back pain. Increasingly treatments such as injections are no longer offered or available due to resource rationing. More specialist treatments such as laser discectomy may not be available at all.

We recognise that there may be significant costs involved with providing care particularly if you require surgery. We endeavour to make these costs as competitive and affordable as possible to make our service accessible to more people. Please ask our team about our flexible patient finance options which may be available to you.