Your Clinic Visit

When you arrive please check in at the reception and you will be directed to the waiting area. We do try to keep to time so please try and be a little early. In some cases, for example following a surgical procedure, you may be asked to have an Xray prior to your clinic appointment. In this case you will be given the necessary form to enable you to have this prior to your clinic time.

New patient appointments are 30 minutes for most private patients. Follow up appointments are usually 10 minutes.

I currently offer clinics at locations detailed below. For more information on our hospitals please click here. New locations are planned for 2018 and 2019.

The Nuffield Hospital Tunbridge Wells
Wednesday Morning : 08.00 – 13.00
Thursday Evening : 17.30 – 20.00

KIMS Hospital Maidstone (Bearsted)
Monday Morning : 07.30 – 13.00

Benenden Hospital – New for 2018
Tuesday evening : 17.30 – 20.00

What if I am required to have an Xray or MRI scan?

It is common for knee problems to be further investigated with  an Xray and often an MRI scan. Xrays can be arranged immediately on the day of your clinic visit then reviewed together on a high resolution screen. An MRI scan may also be available on the same day but commonly takes a day or two to arrange. The MRI scan takes approximately 30 minutes to perform. It is important during this scan to lie as still as possible to allow the best quality images to be attained. Again, once performed, we will review these together in clinic along with the Radiologists report. All of our reporting radiologists are fellowship trained in Musculoskeletal imaging.

Who should I see for physiotherapy?

Physiotherapy forms a vital part of your recovery whether after an acute injury or after a surgical procedure. As well as seeking out a physiotherapist of high quality to help your road to recovery it is also important that they are convenient for you. I can recommend local physiotherapists, all of whom I have visited, who I believe offer a high quality service and that I would be happy for my friends and family to see. This is by no means exhaustive and is constantly being updated – I am always happy to hear from you if you have a recommendation. For a current list please click here.

What if I need surgery?

Having discussed the potential options for treating your knee problem (and the risks, benefits and implications of each) you may decide on a surgical solution. We hope that we have made this process very easy. Our dedicated team will lead you and ensure that it is a seamless journey.

I will give you the consent form to read and this is a good opportunity to ask any questions. We will then sign this form together. There will be a few short questionnaires to answer as part of the pre-surgery safety check (pre-assessment). Sometimes this can be done over the telephone but often a face-to-face meeting is necessary, particularly in the over-40s. There will also be questionnaires related to your knee that are stored securely and anonymously to further our research and understanding of certain clinical conditions.

On the day of surgery you will come in to hospital in the morning and we will meet on the ward. There are often some questions that you have thought of so do feel free to ask them. I will mark your leg for surgery with a special pen. I will also check your legs for any new cuts or scratches. This may sound trivial but this is a safety check as we know that any new cuts on the operative leg raise the chances of an infection by a factor of 12, and new cuts on the non-operative leg by a factor of 4. For this reason we urge you to avoid shaving your legs in the immediate run up to surgery and avoid any activities that may cause new cuts or scratches – cancellation on the day of surgery is rare but it does happen on occasion. You will also meet the anaesthetist who will discuss your anaesthetic with you in depth and will be happy to answer your questions.

Most keyhole procedures such as arthroscopy, ligament reconstructions, meniscal and cartilage surgery are performed as a day case. You will come in to hospital in the morning having starved from the night before, have your surgery and then go home later that same afternoon once you have recovered from the anaesthetic and cleared physiotherapy. You will need a responsible adult to collect you and escort/drive you home.

More complex cases such as knee osteotomy, half knee replacement or multiple knee ligament reconstruction will usually require a one-night stay in hospital. Total joint replacement may need a second night stay but not always.

You will have an xray and blood test following surgery that requires an overnight stay. The physiotherapists will get you up on the day of surgery whenever possible. You will not be discharged until all of their safety checks are satisfied and you feel confident mobilising. They will issue you with some simple exercises to do at home. You will also be given pain medications to take. In general terms, and providing you have no contraindications to taking them, I would suggest the following:-

  • Take regular Paracetamol & Ibuprofen or similar anti-inflammatory for the first 2 weeks following surgery.
  • If still in pain – Rest, Elevate and Ice your knee
  • If still in pain – Take the stronger prescribed tablet (an opiate)

I operate at The Nuffield Hospital Tunbridge Wells and KIMS Hospital in Maidstone (Bearsted).