Is there a way to identify which hospital in London is leading in certain specialisation?

QQQ

My GP wants to refer me to a specialist and asked which hospital would I like to go to. Is there a way to identify which hospital around West London is leading in certain specialisation? 

baser999

Try googling the hospitals in that area, which I presume to be where you live? Hammersmith, Fulham, Charing Cross, Ealing 
Surprised your GP hadn't recommended?

QQQ

baser999 said:

Try googling the hospitals in that area, which I presume to be where you live? Hammersmith, Fulham, Charing Cross, Ealing 
Surprised your GP hadn't recommended?

Try googling what? I am not after a list of the hospitals in London. I need to know which of them is leading in certain specialisation

baser999

Google the name of the hospital and it’ll say what the specialisms are - Hammersmith throws up cardiac, gynae, haematology . . .

debsy42

As it's all about patient choice nowadays your GP should have given you a choice of hospitals that manage your speciality so actually googling those hospital is a good idea. Look at the consultants for your speciality, see if you can see any online reviews for them and if still unsure ask your GP as the previous poster suggested. When you say "leading" what are you meaning by that?

theoretica

Also see if you can find out waiting times.

lr1277

I am aware of tertiary hospitals, which specialise in a particular set of conditions. For example Basildon hospital has a tertiary cardiothoracic centre which as you might guess specialises in cardiothoracic medicine and surgery. There are other tertiary hospitals with their own set of specialities.The disadvantage with tertiary hospitals is that they are not local, but regional centres of excellence. So may mean travel. My cousin is a doctor and one of her patient's mother had to take 3 buses to visit her in a tertiary centre.

I tried googling tertiary london hospitals but the only results that came up were teaching hospitals. So there is an option for you. Whether a teaching hospitals will have specialists in your particular situation I can't say, but they are a possibility. For example if you had an eye condition, would you want to go anywhere other than Moorfields? So you could look at your nearby teaching hospitals and see what departments they have and whether they have a department that would treat your condition. But then if you are NHS there is a matter of luck as to which consultant you get supervising your treatment. I know with my treatment, I have had 2 consultants from the same department and I get on with one better than the other.

Can your condition be treated privately? I am not saying you have to go private but you can get a review of private doctors at the doctify site. Be warned. the way a doctor treats you in private is a lot more time consuming than the same doctor in the NHS. But I have no doubt the quality of the advice and the treatment you get will be similar if not the same. It is a matter of time of consultation, cost to you and waiting times.

Also you need to decide if you want a doctor with a good bedside manner or one who is technically knowledgeable. Not saying the latter won't have a good bedside manner.....

But once you decide on a doctor, find out where they work and see if your GP will refer you to that doctor at that hospital.

So to summarise:

See if there is a tertiary centre near you that treats your condition. Or at least a tertiary centre to which you are willing to attend.

If not, see if the nearest teaching hospital has a specialty/department for your condition. Then see if you can find a review of the doctors or the department.

Finally if your condition can be treated privately, find the higly reviewed doctors and see if you can see them on the NHS. But there is the possibility that even though the doctor is practising privately in London, their NHS hospital might be anywhere in the SE of England.

Hope that was helpful and not too confusing.

lr1277

Out of curiosity, what board is this thread posted on?  And under what heading is that? I can't tell from the linking thing at the top of the page. And all it says is Moneysaving. TIA.

QQQ

lr1277 said:

Out of curiosity, what board is this thread posted on?  And under what heading is that? I can't tell from the linking thing at the top of the page. And all it says is Moneysaving. TIA.

I aimed it at "Health & beauty MoneySaving", not sure why it dropped from there. Moderator, could you please put this discussion back to the right place?

silvercar

QQQ said:

lr1277 said:

Out of curiosity, what board is this thread posted on?  And under what heading is that? I can't tell from the linking thing at the top of the page. And all it says is Moneysaving. TIA.

I aimed it at "Health & beauty MoneySaving", not sure why it dropped from there. Moderator, could you please put this discussion back to the right place?

lr1277 said:

Out of curiosity, what board is this thread posted on?  And under what heading is that? I can't tell from the linking thing at the top of the page. And all it says is Moneysaving. TIA.

It is in the right place. After money saving you should see a double arrow and then "Health & beauty MoneySaving"

If you gave us a clue as to what specialism you are looking for, you may find an response that names a hospital.

Your GP may have asked you such an open ended question because patients answers will vary. Responses may include the nearest hospital/ one accessible by public transport/ the one with the shortest waiting time/ a centre of excellence.

Robin9

lr1277 said:

I am aware of tertiary hospitals, which specialise in a particular set of conditions. For example Basildon hospital has a tertiary cardiothoracic centre which as you might guess specialises in cardiothoracic medicine and surgery. There are other tertiary hospitals with their own set of specialities.The disadvantage with tertiary hospitals is that they are not local, but regional centres of excellence. So may mean travel. My cousin is a doctor and one of her patient's mother had to take 3 buses to visit her in a tertiary centre.

I tried googling tertiary london hospitals but the only results that came up were teaching hospitals. So there is an option for you. Whether a teaching hospitals will have specialists in your particular situation I can't say, but they are a possibility. For example if you had an eye condition, would you want to go anywhere other than Moorfields? So you could look at your nearby teaching hospitals and see what departments they have and whether they have a department that would treat your condition. But then if you are NHS there is a matter of luck as to which consultant you get supervising your treatment. I know with my treatment, I have had 2 consultants from the same department and I get on with one better than the other.

Can your condition be treated privately? I am not saying you have to go private but you can get a review of private doctors at the doctify site. Be warned. the way a doctor treats you in private is a lot more time consuming than the same doctor in the NHS. But I have no doubt the quality of the advice and the treatment you get will be similar if not the same. It is a matter of time of consultation, cost to you and waiting times.

Also you need to decide if you want a doctor with a good bedside manner or one who is technically knowledgeable. Not saying the latter won't have a good bedside manner.....

But once you decide on a doctor, find out where they work and see if your GP will refer you to that doctor at that hospital.

So to summarise:

See if there is a tertiary centre near you that treats your condition. Or at least a tertiary centre to which you are willing to attend.

If not, see if the nearest teaching hospital has a specialty/department for your condition. Then see if you can find a review of the doctors or the department.

Finally if your condition can be treated privately, find the higly reviewed doctors and see if you can see them on the NHS. But there is the possibility that even though the doctor is practising privately in London, their NHS hospital might be anywhere in the SE of England.

Hope that was helpful and not too confusing.

I think you are over simplifying the process.

I have a referral to a Tertiary Hospital for a specialist procedure and have been given a waiting list of 18 weeks - no appointment (and the surgeon doesn't do Private).

My doctor will refer me to anywhere I want to go but I have to find the hospital. Ringing around  I get list : goes into 2024 or we won't talk to you , get the doctor to refer you .......................