Consultation to Recovery
Consultation
The consultation is an opportunity for you to get to know me and for me to get to know you.
A full consultation with me will cost £200 for a 45 minute session.
At the consultation, I will undertake a thorough history and examination of you. I will establish the reason for your visit, your past medial history and perform a complete physical examination.
The main purpose of the consultation will be to fully inform you about the nature, consequences and possible risks with surgery. If you have a lot of questions then it is a good idea to write them down so that you don’t forget them on the day of surgery. Bringing a friend or relative will also help to fill in the inevitable blanks.
There is no pressure or persuasion at any stage because I want you to make the correct decision for yourself and in your own time – there is no place for pressure sales in ethical surgery. Thereafter, a quote for the procedure will be provided to you at your request. If you are certain that you wish to proceed then the surgery can be booked with my personal assistant. They will endeavour to secure you a date at the earliest opportunity. We encourage all patients to have at least a two week “cooling off period” – this gives you some time to think about surgery to ensure that it is the right decision for you. If you have any doubts then you are very strongly advised not to commit to surgery until you are absolutely certain.
Pre-Operative Assessment
Prior to surgery, I will let you know if you need to alter or stop any of your current medications. This may include aspirin, warfarin or tamoxifen. Experienced pre-admission nurses will organise any tests that you may need in good time so that the results will be available for the anaesthetist on the day of surgery. If you have any questions that the pre-admission nurse is unable to answer, then they will be answered before any surgery.
Operation
I will perform all surgery and consultant follow-up appointments. For complex reconstruction cases, I will sometimes be assisted by another trained Plastic Surgeon who will be a fellow or member of a UK Royal College of Surgery. You will be admitted on the day of your procedure to one of a number of state of the art private hospitals that I operate in throughout the West Midlands. These hospitals are fully registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and offer a spectrum of medical care facilities including CCU (Critical Care Unit) or HDU (High Dependency Unit). In addition there will be 24 hour nursing and medical cover with a resident doctor on-site.
On arrival, you will report to reception and check in with the Admission’s Office. The nurses will then admit you and ask you a few necessary questions about your medical history, medications, allergies and establish if there are any current medical concerns. I will review you on the ward with the anaesthetist before surgery. This is in order to explain everything and answer any final questions or address any concenrs. With your consent, a photograph is taken as a record for your notes. A nurse will escort you to theatre where the anaesthetist will put you to sleep.
When your operation is complete, you are gently transferred to your own bed and the recovery ward. There, the nurses will ensure that you are comfortable before going back to your room. I will see you after surgery and you should feel a lot better the next morning as the anaesthetic wears off. Then you will be given any post-operative instructions, follow-up appointment details and medications before you return home.
Aftercare
I believe that aftercare defines the service and is the key to successful treatment. We provide a comprehensive aftercare package to enable us to support you through every step of your recovery.
As part of our commitment to you, all of your follow up appointment pertaining to your procedure is included in your inital quote. This means that you can be safe in the knowledge that you will have open access to come back to the clinic and see me at any time before or after your procedure. I understand that patients often have questions or concerns in the post-operative period and find it difficult to make it to a clinic or get an answer in a timely fashion. I therefore offer all patients my own email address to answer any simple questions as soon as I can. This allows you have timely access to me for reassurance and limits any personal distress.
In the event of an emergency, each hospital has 24-hour medical support available every day of year. This has the full range of medical facilities, including operating theatres available at all hours. However, if more intensive support is required, then you may be moved to the nearest NHS Accident and Emergency Department. Likewise, this also applies if you are away from the hospital, for example at home, and urgent treatment is needed.
I believe in minimising dressings by using a glue and tape dressing that enables you to shower immediately after surgery. This also prevents patients becoming sensitive to dressings and requiring frequent dressing changes. The glue will simply dissolve approximately 3 weeks after surgery to leave a healed wound. A nurse will see you in the dressing clinic one week following your surgery to ensure all is well. I will then see you in clinic at about 3-4 weeks unless you need to see me sooner.
Implants with a Lifetime Warranty
I only use implants of excellence that are covered with a life time guarantee and money back scheme in the event of a medical complication. I offer both silicone and polyurethane coated implants from the major manufacturers. I am not tied to any manufacturer and I am happy to discuss the pros and cons of the different implants and warranties available to help you make an informed decision. It also advisable to do your own personal research on the different types of implants that are available.
Surgery and Nicotine
In simple terms, all patients who use nicotine must cease at least four weeks prior to and after surgery (please go here for more detail including associated risks and complications). Always guided by safety, I will not operate on any patient that continues to smoke or use nicotine within this timeframe. A patient’s local General Practitioner is the best person to seek for advice on how to quit smoking or for more information go to this helpful NHS link.
