Patient Support
Many of our patients attend The London Foot & Ankle Surgery from abroad. There are several things to consider when arranging an international visit, and we generally recommend the following:
Visas:
We are not directly involved in applying for a visa to enter the country for medical reasons. This is something that each patient will have to arrange dependent on their own circumstances. However, the consultant who you wish to see can provide a letter confirming your appointment and this may be helpful when applying for your visa.
Interpreters:
We strongly advise our international patients who require an interpreter to arrange this prior to their appointment. Although many of our consultants are multilingual, we do not provide an interpretation service. Many embassies will provide advice and support when arranging an interpreter. Alternatively, there are many concierge services who can assist with both interpretation and accommodation that we work with. Please ask for more details.
Registration:
It is important that you register for your appointment before attending our centre. This process involves filling out a short form detailing contact and relevant medical information. Please ensure that you bring any previous reports or medical images with you to your appointment.
Long Distance Consultation:
We do offer long distance consults via Skype. It is possible to arrange a Long Distance Virtual Consultation online:
If you are using health insurance please contact your provider before booking to authorise.
If you are self-funding, a virtual consultation fee is £100.
The consultants and specialists at The Foot & Ankle Surgery are registered with all major insurance providers.
UK Insurance Providers:
Your insurance provider will have their own procedure for authorising payments for your care. For UK based insurers, including BUPA, AXA PPP, Cigna, Vitality, Simply Healthy, and WPA, this procedure will involve three stages:
- GP Referral: your provider will require that a GP refers you to see a specialist who is best placed to help you. This referral may be to see a particular specialist at The London Foot & Ankle Surgery, or may be an open referral. Your GP may also recommend a particular treatment or procedure and it may be helpful to make your provider aware of this.
- Authorisation Code: Following receipt of a referral from your GP, your insurance provider will issue you with an authorisation code associated with your initial consultation.
- Arrange An Appointment: When arranging an appointment with us we will ask you to provide your Policy Number and your Authorisation Code. Having these to hand when booking your appointment will help to ensure a quick registration.
International Insurance Providers:
If your insurance provider is international, they will have their own procedure for authorising the payment of your care. If this is the case, we recommend that you contact your provider and they will advise you as to how to proceed prior to arranging your appointment with us. If you require any more information or advice on authorising payments with your insurance provider, please do not hesitate to contact our team.
What Our Patients Say…
- Morton’s Neuroma Injection: For all you fearful patients with Morton’s neuroma out there! Please don be afraid of the injection. I spent days fearing the worst and Mr Nazir did the injection using the ultrasound machine and it was virtually painless.
- Saad Bin Khalifa: I had suffered form flat feet for many years making my feet ache every time I walked more than 15 minutes. I tried special orthotics and found that they just hurt my arch all the time. I have to thank this clinic for introducing me to the hyprocure procedure which I had done on both feet over the last year.
Every surgical procedure has a unique context and may require you to make preparations before the procedure is carried out and for your postoperative rehabilitation. Because each procedure is unique it is important that your surgeon provides information on the details of the procedure, the prognosis, possible risks and expected recovery time. Below is a general guideline to preparation for your surgery so you can ensure that you have all the information you need and know what to ask from your surgeon.
Employment and Recovery:
You will need to prepare to be out of work for between 3 weeks and 6 months. This will depend on the type of surgery that you will be undergoing and how much physical exertion is required for your job. People often underestimate how long it will take to recover from foot surgery, so it is important that you have discussed this factor with your surgeon.
Recovery Period:
The postoperative period may involve a lot of time indoors or you may potentially be immobilized while your body recuperates. There are small but paramount considerations to be made that will make this period easier.
- Let you family and friends know what is happening. This way you will benefit from support such as, checking in on you, helping perform certain tasks that might be hard and keeping you engaged and entertained.
- Prepare your house so that things you will need often are close at hand. This will reduce any need to move frequently. It is often a sensible decision to move your bed to the ground floor.
- Stock up on supplies, such as food and other necessities. This will decrease how often you will need to leave the house.
Post-Surgery | Pain and Swelling:
Many surgical procedures will result in pain and swelling at the site of the surgery. The pain is due to the trauma of surgery, which is dependent on the type of procedure that you are undergoing. The swelling is due to increase blood flow as the body heals, which can be exacerbated when immobilisation is required postoperatively, as your leg muscles contract less and hence less blood flow. Pain Management: Anesthetists may administer local or peripheral nerve blocks to manage pain, which will be effective in the short term after the procedure. Narcotics and anti-inflammatory medication can be helpful to control pain directly after surgery, although these can have side effects so it is important to query this with your surgeon. Keeping the leg elevated can help reduce both pain and swelling.
Activity Modification:
It is often imperative that you avoid activities where your leg is held downwards for an extended period. You will therefore often need to avoid pursuits that involve prolonged standing or walking for the first few weeks following surgery. Showering: It should be clearly emphasised that showing should be done in a safe manner postoperatively. Firstly, you should consider how best to avoid falling while in the shower, which can lead to damage of the surgery site or injury to another part of the body. Patients often find it helpful to take a stool into the shower with them and often benefit from assistance getting into and out of the shower. Secondly, you will need to take measures to avoid the surgery area getting wet while showering. A common ‘home-hack’ is to place a plastic rubbish sack up to the knee. Alternatively, you can buy a cast protector, which is typically more effective. If the surgery site or cast gets wet you may need to have the whole cast replaced, which is often negatively impacts on recovery.