Costs
Insured patients
I charge rates that are reasonable and consistent with my experience. For the majority of insurance providers there should be no shortfall for out patient care or for surgery. If you are uncertain, please discuss this with your insurance provider before your appointment.
Self-funding: Hand and plastic surgery
Hand / Plastic surgery new appointment £225, and follow-up appointment £125.
New versus follow-up appointments
If you have a chronic condition (such as Dupuytren's disease), and were last seen more than six months ago, your insurance provider will expect you to obtain approval for a new consultation (you will be charged for a new consultation). This does not apply to skin cancer patients having follow-up in accordance with national guidelines.
Self-funding: Cosmetic surgery
New appointment £200 (cosmetic surgery patients considering surgery can return for a second appointment at no charge).
Cosmetic surgery patients usually have an initial consultation of at least 30 minutes. I provide a personal opinion, and will carefully explain the pros and cons of a procedure. (It is possible that the information may not always be what a patient wants to hear: for example I may need to explain why a procedure would not be in a patients best-interest.) I may suggest that a patient seeks the support of a clinical psychologist.
If you are a smoker, or are unable to stop smoking, I am unlikely to recommend that you consider cosmetic surgery.
Additional procedures and investigations in clinic
An additional fee may be charged for interventions or investigations performed during the consultation (for example steroid injection into a painful joint).
I may also charge an additional fee for the review of a large number of X-rays and scans (many of my patients have undergone previous investigation and surgery elsewhere and bring a collection of scans and notes needing review). Please feel free to discuss this with my office before your consultation.
The cost of individual surgical procedures
My secretary can provide a quote for the cost of most common procedures (including surgery and out patient care. This would include the hospital and anaesthetic fee). Most procedures are offered as a "fixed price inclusive care" package. I charge the surgical fee suggested by the hospital.
The quote includes the cost of a post surgical bra in patients undergoing breast surgery, and an abdominal binder or compression garment in patients undergoing abdominal surgery. The quote will not include the cost of any private prescriptions, scar treatments, or hand therapy. It will not include the cost of a clinical psychologist if needed. It does not include the cost of a plaster cast (for some hand surgery I require the help of a plaster technician).
At the time of writing (2021) the cost for self pay patients at the Spire Cambridge Lea hospital:
Carpal tunnel release: £1539
Trigger finger release: £1557
Trapeziumectomy: £4985
Excision of basal cell carcinoma and skin graft: £2649
Bilateral breast reduction: £7603
Bilateral Breast Augmentation (cost can vary dependent upon the type of implant): £5613 (as a day case) £5803 (as one night stay procedure)
Abdominoplasty: £6843
Gynaecomastia removal: £5792
See and treat clinics
For self-funding patients the fee is £450 (the hospital will also charge a fee for use of their staff and facilities of between £200 and £300, please check with my office before your appointment).
If your planned surgery involves the histological analysis of tissue: the hospital will charge for this service: this is usually between £200 and £300 per specimen (the hospital or my secretary should be able to tell you the likely cost.)
See and treat clinics are most appropriate for small skin benign skin lesions. See and treat clinics are not suitable for anything other than very minor hand surgery (needle fasciotomy for Dupuytren's disease can be performed as a see and treat, but trigger finger surgery or surgery for cysts near the nail plate cannot be performed safely in this manner).
If at the time of our consultation I feel that your problem would not be suitable for "see and treat" and make the decision not to proceed with surgery, you are likely to be charged approximatley £200. This does not happen very often but common reasons for not going ahead with surgery include: lesions too large to be removed as a simple excision (for example larger lesions on the lower-legs or nose needing a skin graft), lesions close to the eye or on the hands of a patient wanting to drive home, and patients with pre-arramged important social or professional engagements within a few days of the proposed surgery. You can send me a photograph of the problem prior to the appointment in order to help plan your care. Please speak to my secretary who can provide you with an e-mail to send the image (ideally this should be well lit and infocus. it should give me an idea of the size of the lesion and its location).
Prices are correct at time of publishing in November 2020: but please check all pricing with my secretary.