I’m considering going private for a wrist operation (having the scaphoid screwed together)…

Does anyone know or have any experience in who are the most reputable wrist/hand surgeons? South east and London area ideally, although I can travel a bit for a good one! 🙂

I can help with wrist doctors but when I was looking at ankle specialists in Southampton I went on the web sites for the two nearest private hospitals and looked at the consultants listed.

They are normally listed by speciality and have a brief resume. Pick a few and Google them.

Personal recommendations may be reassuring but not that valid. How many times does one person have the same type of injury treated often enough to rate the different doctors.

Having said that, I will be able to compare Mr Uglow and Mr Hancock on their approaches as I did almost the same thing to my ankle 7 years ago.

So far I prefer Mr Hancock as he did the actual surgery this time and it was a much worse break. Mrs WCA prefers Mr Uglow who she thinks is pretty hot.

Let’s hope this posting doesn’t affect my future treatment 😉

I can help with wrist doctors but when I was looking at ankle specialists in Southampton I went on the web sites for the two nearest private hospitals and looked at the consultants listed.

They are normally listed by speciality and have a brief resume. Pick a few and Google them.

Honestly that is no guide whatsoever. Some of the best surgeons I know of don’t do PP.

But if they don’t do PP, how is the OP going to be able to use them if his area doesn’t buy that hospitals services?

Get their names from the PP and then Google them

Mr Hancock did the emergency operation at Southampton General. I then was due back two weeks later but he was on holiday so saw a different consultant at the South Hants (also in Soputhampton).

My appointment was 9am but I was told to arrive 30 minutes before for an x-ray. I did. x-ray wasn’t open and said I had to wait for the consultant to tick a box on the form to say I still needed an x-ray.

He had to come from the General and wast ready until 10:30. He looked at my leg before the x-ray and said I needed emergency bloods because he thought it was infected. He wanted me on IV antibiotics if the bloods showed anything but wanted it x-rayed first.

I was sent for x-ray and waited 2 hours. I was then sent for ’emergency’ bloods but had to get my self a taxi back to the Genreal where I waited again.

At 3pm I had my bloods and was told that they would be rushed through within the hour.

At 10:30pm I got a call from the consultant saying the x-ray didn’t look bas and the bloods were okay.

Thank goodness he didn’t make me worry about the urgency an a possible infected joint following the operation.

Not the consultant being good, bad or indifferent, just the quality and speed of process. It is the same doctors (mostly) in both hospitals. It was Mr Hancock who I saw the following Monday privately.

Appointment at 5pm, x-ray on arrival and chat over coffee with Mr Hancock. Really pleased with the fact I wasn’t in too much pain. Accompanied my down to the room where he took off the back slab, not happy as they had set the foot at the wrong angle. Cleaned, inspected, redressed and back in a cast after showing me the x-ray and explaining what he had done in detail. Still didn’t miss the one show at 7pm.

Same person. Different level of procedural efficiency

I’ve no idea who did mine, but I’ve more movement in the wrist I broke than the one I haven’t 🙂

So someone who works/practises at Stoke Mandeville did a cracking job.

Flexible wrist? Stoke Mandeville? Hmmm…

Why the decision to go private?

You have the choice of any provider in the NHS as well as private providers ( to some degree, its a while since I worked in the field). You should have been offered the free choice at the point of referral.

Same problem of making an informed choice though…

Just out of interest, do you think you will get better quality care in the private sector or quicker treatment, or both?

Thanks for the help guys. I seem to have found someone with a rather good reputation, who is also in the NHS so i’ll phone around tomorrow to arrange to hopefully see him.

@Olddog- I was hoping both. Although have no experience with anything like this- so no idea what to expect if im honest. Figured seen as this is a fairly common bike injury I may get some sensible opinions 😀
Every doctor i’ve seen so far for this injury has told me something different (or been wrong, mentioning no names!) it just seems to be stalling- i might have the opportunity to go private, and would just rather get it sorted asap and be able to get to work 🙂

Best thing is to visit a surgeon local to where you are and see if they can explain what you need in a way you can understand and arrange surgery (if required) at a time convenient to you (which you may have to pay for if you want to choose exactly who does the op and where it is performed)

Chelsea & Westminster has an excellent hand unit, any of the surgeons there will give you a sensible opinion for free on the NHS.

Feel free to mail me with questions

Best wishes

Tim

C.O.I: Orthopaedic / Hand Surgeon currently on hand + wrist fellowship in Melbourne, Australia
Completed ortho training in Cambridge, previously worked at Chelsea + due to return there in April

… as a general rule we should go for someone who does high volumes and specialises in a particular surgey. This can lead to a mismatch between best possible care and convenience. So in your case a specialist hand unit would seem ideal as per tinytim.

Private doesn’t necessarily mean better treatment by any measure. The ancillary benefits/convenience etc are better but I’d be looking for the surgeon with most experience of wrist reconstruction and I have a sneaking suspicionn you would find that in the NHS. You also need to make sure you have proper after care and rehabilitation.

Hope it goes well

… as a general rule the concensus is to go for someone who does high volumes and specialises in a particular surgey. This can lead to a mismatch between best possible care and local convenience.

So in your case a specialist hand unit would seem ideal as per tinytim.

Private doesn’t necessarily mean better treatment by any measure. The ancillary benefits/convenience etc are better but I’d be looking for the surgeon with most experience of wrist reconstruction and I have a sneaking suspicion you would find that in the NHS. You also need to make sure you have proper after care and rehabilitation.

Hope it goes well

http://www.meht.nhs.uk/our-services/consultants-list/st-andrews-centre-for-plastic-surgery-and-burns/mr-david-elliot/

Mr David Elliot – a very impressive CV indeed and apparently one of the best hand surgeons not only in the UK, but in Europe.

Do some googling, he has two private practices in London.

Otherwise, try googling for a hand surgeon with a specialist interest in schapoid fractures.

Also be aware, many schapoid fractures are difficult to treat and result in poor patient outcome, irrespective of the surgeon’s skill.

I was looking at this re hip surgeons and it seems impossible to find any data on relative success rates etc.

Spicer – I’d recommend Mr Compson, he operates at the Lister in Chelsea Bridge, wrist’s are his thing, when he did my scaphoid he was just off to the US to do a lecture on scaphoid injury and bone cysts. Very nice man too. I also went private through AXA PPP, it’s couldn’t of been more stress free. My wrist is doing OK too, very neat scar, some pain went road riding with rigid forks, that’s down to weight bearing, potholes and general vibration though.

relative success rates

IMO this is mostly down to the patient getting the correct recovery time, we’re far to impatient, just keep off the bike for as long as possible.

@tinytim, fancy coming over and doing it for me this weekend? 😀

Thanks for the info and suggestions, I will talk to my GP about it as i’ll need a referral letter from him regardless. He used to be in orthopedics so may have a recommendation or know about these suggested surgeons.

Dr BO Povlsen is also someone else local on the NHS with a who seems to have a good reputation.

As an update… I got referred to chelsea & westminster hospital (specialists hand/wrist trauma), got an appointment on the 14th, and was sent in for surgery on the 19th (with Ms Bremnar-smith- very experienced in this injury). Hooraay, and well done NHS! Went in at 12.30, was awake by 4pm, and ready to leave by half past. Nothing but praise for every member of staff I met there.
The first two days after the op were frankly, agony. Even straight afterwards the morphine didn’t seem to have any effect. It’s still very painful, but hey- its mending!
Only after seeing this hospital have i realized how poor the service of my local hospital is- I can safely say I will not be returning there!

i ve heard that if you change hands at 99 it can avoid most of these problems.

i ve heard that if you change hands at 99 it can avoid most of these problems.

Looks like my left ones on the way out as well then 😯