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Mr Edward Westcott

General Surgeon

I had 5 surgeries in Barcelona, where I nearly lost my life. It began with a really sharp pain in my abdomen, an emergency operation because there was sepsis and a perforation in my sigmoid colon. - a life threatening condition. The barcelona doctors closed the perforation, but, unfortunately, the colon started to leak. There was a buildup of fluid and a stone then dislodged itself from my gall bladder, which was extremely extremely painful. Another emergency operation took place. But, while in the OR, my vitals started to fail. Perhaps not knowing what to do, the doctors decided to stall for time, and put me in an induced coma for 5 days. Long story short, many things went wrong - i ended up losing my appendix, gall bladder, parts of my stomach (there was so much bleeding). There were 3 more procedures, but I survived. I left spain with a mesh in my abdomen, a colostomy bag, no core muscles in my abdomen (they had been moved to the side to accommodate the mesh), 30% less blood in my left leg (they had accidentally nicked my iliac artery), and a huge ulcer on my left foot (i spent 7 weeks in the hospital, most of it in the ICU, and i was not moved much). For most of the year, i rehabbed slowly. I learned how to live - survive, really - with a colostomy bag, and consulted with the best doctors in Manila on how to remove the colostomy bag (the procedure is called a reverse Hartmann), how to remove the mesh, and somehow restoring my core muscles. None of the top doctors consulted were comfortable preforming the reverse Hartmann. “Too many adhesions - it may take 8 hours before we get beyond the adhesions”, said one. “The reverse Hartmann is the most difficult procedure that a rectal surgeon can perform”. “Your intestines are all over the place, we may have a hard time recognizing things”. I had been through so many surgeries, the doctors were concerned that my innards were jumbled up. “We will need 2 operations, the reverse Hartmann, and the 2nd for the mesh”. The explanation was that the 1st was a “dirty” procedure, involving fecal matter, and that the 2nd was a clean procedure, that required everything to be clean to avoid infection. After a long search, and after weighing all options, I decided to have the surgery in London. Dr Edward Westcott performed the reverse Hartman on me at Princess Grace hospital in London on October, 2025. To my surprise, both procedures - reverse Hartman and mesh removal were done in one shot, contrary to what my other doctors had told me was possible. The whole procedure took 4 hours, and I was up and walking in 24hours. Best surprise was that I was able to regain control of my core muscles. The mesh in my abdomen had ripped apart my core and I had difficulty getting out of bed, or into cars, or walking up unsteady surfaces. Anything requiring good core muscles - I could not do. None of the doctors could tell me how my core would behave after surgery as there were few who had my problem - abdominal mesh, no core muscles, colostomy bag. Not only was the colostomy bag gone, I could now play sports and engage in regular activities like a regular human being. I am told that this was made possible due to some very recent advances & techniques - they injected my abdomen with Botox 6 weeks prior to surgery - to allow them to stretch my abdomen more during the operation. Then they used some new flexible bio mesh that allowed the doctors to join my core muscles together, yet stretch and move about. All in all I am very pleased and happy to recommend Dr Westcott to anyone in need of abdominal surgery. I won’t say my body is as good as before, but it is a damn better than anything I expected.

London Heart Practice

Cardiology

I booked my appointment directly with Parkside Hospital, Wimbledon, so I didn't attend the London Heart Clinic nor any HCA premises, so my comments relate entirely to Parkside Hospital. 1 - Booking the appointment was a welcoming experience, Tanya was friendly, polite, courteous and easy to converse with. 2 - A follow up email was sent with the appointment details and patient information form which gave some scant details that would not in themselves form the basis of a contract imo. 3- On arrival for the appointment, I was asked to sign a form in 3 places. I was not given a copy of it nor given a chance to take it and read it in the waiting area, I was just asked to sign it, without it being read. 4 - on the basis that this document is in fact a contractual document setting out terms and conditions, which I didn't get to read, this is very poor practice, and could be challengeable. I also have no idea whether it made any reference to 'consent' within it. 5 - I was not handed a copy of the form before or after signing, and the form, with my signatures, has not been emailed to me subsequently, and it is now 2 days after the appointment. 6 - I arrived early for my appointment in the hope that I might be seen earlier than planned, but in the event, I was actually taken in for my appointment 25 minutes after my appointment time, but on the other hand, I had some 50 minutes, so I might have delayed someone else or made Dr Hinton late on leaving. Having said that, he didn't rush me at all, and I am very grateful for this. 7 - Dr Hinton himself was a pleasure to consult with. He made me feel at ease, and he enabled me to feel validated, and heard. He was kind and supportive and I felt I had found someone I could trust. Trust is a super important factor to me, as I've had so many bad experiences in the past. 8 - Dr Hinton grasped matters quickly and set out a case management plan, and dictated his letter to my GP in my presence, for which I am grateful. The only issue I have with that is, that I would rather the NHS GP is not involved, as I have no faith in NHS medical services right now, and I would wish to refer the letter to my health insurers, but am not sure how this will be done, and particularly so, if I am reluctant to speak with my NHS GP? I'm hoping that I will also be furnished with a letter that I can produce to my health insurers, so as to get authorisation for a scan plus it's super important that the letter has been sent to the right GP practice, and I hope it has. I did amend this quickly on the form. This has left a bit of a grey area for me, and I don't know if it was mentioned on the form that I was asked to sign without being able to read through it or be furnished with a copy so I could read it whilst waiting and ask for any amendments? 9 - Parkside is easy to access but it's looking a bit shabby in the outpatients area from my perspective, and the staff look a bit unkempt. My aunt was awarded an MBE for her services to nursing nearly 40 years ago, sadly, she is no longer with us, but she was a stickler for her staff having pristine uniforms, admittedly in the days when nurses wore hats and cuffs, proper uniforms, and butterfly belts, but she was always immaculately turned out and took a pride in her appearance, as well as her work. I often think that today, it begs a question about infection control, or moreover, the lack of it. 10 - it would have been nice to have someone volunteering to work the drinks machine. Older people are afraid to ask but are often dehydrated when waiting, and as we age, technology becomes quite challenging, even a drinks machine!

Nuffield Health The Holly Hospital

Paediatrics, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, + 10 more

All of the staff at Nuthfield were so kind. Everyone was always smiling and being happy and kind to myself and my partner. From the receptionist who told us where to go and took us to our room. To the night nurse that checked us in to the room. I had multiple nurses come and check on me throughout the time I waited to have the cystoscopy. We were able to get food before and after. We arrived at 07:00 on the 27th, and I can't remember all the lovely people's names who helped us. My only slight criticism would be from arriving at the hospital at 07:00 the actual procedure didn't start till after 09:00 and this gave me lots of time to overthink the procedure. But I think that was a me problem and I also don't know how long these things take to check people in etc. So apologies if it is standard haha.

Kidswell Health

Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Endocrinology & Diabetes, + 3 more

I can’t recommend Debra highly enough as a physio. I had physio for my middle child 5 years ago with Debra and again with my now 10 month old baby. Debra is calm, patient, and so knowledgeable, which instantly put both me and my baby at ease. She has a wonderful way of engaging with babies, turning each session into something that feels more like play than therapy, while still being incredibly effective. She always takes the time to explain what she’s doing and how we can support our baby’s progress at home, which has been so reassuring as a parent. We’ve always seen such positive progress under her care, and I’m so grateful to have had her support. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Debra to any parent looking for a skilled, compassionate, and trustworthy paediatric physio.

Dr. Aaron Hughes

Dermatologist

I saw Dr Hughes for the management of keloid scars and had a really positive experience. From the start, he was kind, calm, and easy to talk to, which put me at ease. He took the time to properly explain my condition and walked me through all the available treatment options. I found his explanations very clear and easy to understand, and I felt confident that he really knew what he was talking about. Throughout the consultation, I felt listened to and supported. He answered all my questions patiently and made sure I felt comfortable with the plan we discussed. I left the appointment feeling reassured, informed, and pleased with the treatment plan going forward. I would definitely recommend Dr Hughes to anyone looking for a knowledgeable and compassionate dermatologist.

St Joseph’s Hospital

Physiotherapy, Audiology, + 22 more

My experience of the hospital was very good. The staff were amazing especially Jayne on Day surgery and David at the ward at night. The only downside that came to my attention is being told that there was no lactose free milk for my tea. The lady, I did catch her name, told me that she wasn’t aware of my overnight stay. She asked me if I was aware that I was staying overnight and I replied ‘yes’. She then went on to ask if I had put it in my forms prior to attending and I said yes. She kept on going on it wasn’t her fault she had been told. A bit of advice would be that she overshared. She clearly sorted the problem as the following morning someone had picked up the milk and I had it with my tea.

Newmedica Leicester

Ophthalmology

I attended an appointment with my mum as she has been referred for cataract surgery. Upon arrival we had a warm friendly welcome. When mum was called in I explained to the lady that mum is profoundly deaf and she lip read's and asked if she could look at mum when talking to her. Naz was absolutely amazing, she spoke clearly and looked at my mum when speaking and explained everything to her. Both myself and my mum were really impressed as it's not easy for my mum when people don't understand her deafness. The lady we saw after Naz was good with mum too. With our experience yesterday it put our minds at rest that mum will be helped and understood when she goes back for surgery.

Cromwell Hospital

Allergy Medicine, Audiology, + 17 more

My most recent visit was for an MRI scan which occurred in in the mobile unit. My oncologist requested a full spinal scan as well as a head and neck scan. The radiographer told me that this wasn’t possible then proceeded to ask me to choose one or the other. I wasn’t qualified to make this decision as both were equally important. There was insufficient information given as to the reason for not being able to have the scans I was booked in for, which really wasn’t good enough. Having waited quite a few weeks for this appointment I am annoyed that I will have to return next week to have the spinal scan. I expect better.

The Royal Free London Private Patients Unit

Breast Surgery, Ear Nose & Throat Surgery (ENT/Otolaryngology), + 18 more

1)I found the signage to the main lifts and to Lyndhurst rooms confusing. There should be signage in the ground floor lift lobby saying which departments are on which floor. I have been complaining about this since 1971. 2)The excellent group portrait of the Royal Free consultants in about 1970 which used to be on the ground floor but has now been removed to the 12th Floor no longer has the key saying who they are. This is a digrace and an insult to the memory of a fine group of men (and about ten women), The key should be found and reinstated immediately.

Mr Mfazo Hove

Ophthalmologist

Mr. Hove is no doubt an incredibly experienced and very skillful eye surgeon. His impressive CV is testament to that! In a phone conversation a week before my surgery he explained the procedure, the IOL options and answered my many questions very patiently. His calm and caring manner put me at ease and filled me with great confidence. On the day of my procedure he carried out my surgery efficiently with great care in a very calm and well organized operating theatre. If I ever need to have eye surgery again, I would hope it would be with Mr. Hove!

Mr Greg Rudol

Orthopaedic Surgeon

Mr Rudol was very thorough in his explanations of my condition. He answered all my questions and concerns methodically, ensuring that I understood. He explained the further treatment options, and the pros and cons of these, in detail and with relevant statistics so that I could make an informed decision. Mr Rudol was very reassuring and approachable in all of my consultations. I am extremely pleased with his advice and my progress under his care.

Mr Alex Townsend

Podiatrist

After a frustrating year with an ankle injury sustained playing football, seeing Alex at PSM has been great. Alex provided a detailed analysis of my gait and took a 3D scan of my foot to create orthoses customised to me. He also clearly explained what was going on with my ankle and how it can get better, having done a number of tests to pinpoint the issue. Highly recommend Alex for anyone struggling with a foot-related sports injury.

Dr Carla Plymen

Cardiologist

It was a phone appointment. As always Dr Plymen listened to what I had to say and explained recent results from a stress echo test. I always feel a part of the decision making with the medical advice given. Everything is always explained so I understand the options to keep treatment stable. Compassionate, kind, caring and very knowledgeable. I have complete trust in Dr Plymen and the heart failure team I see. Thank you.

Dr M. Shariff

Gastroenterologist

Dr M. Shariff was exceptionally thorough and took the time to explain every step involved in reaching a diagnosis, including the tests and procedures. Once the results were available, he went through them in detail and made sure everything was clear. His calm and composed manner really put me at ease, and I never felt rushed during any of the consultations, which I truly appreciated.

The Lister Hospital, part of HCA Healthcare UK

Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Surgery, + 12 more

I had a wonderful day at the Lister Hospital being looked after beautifully before and after my hip procedure. Janette, my nurse couldn't have been friendlier or more reassuring, the food I had was very good and fresh, and then to have a little sprinkling of reflexology on the 'menu' was icing on the cake! All in all a great experience.

Mr Stelios Myriknas

Obstetrician & Gynaecologist

The care and support i had from Stelios was amazing. i couldn't have asked for more. He supported me and listened to my concerns and i felt comfortable and secure in the fact he was looking after my best interests. I feel blessed to have had him as my consultant through my challenging journey.