What to Expect After Your Consultation

Having a consultation with one of our consultant surgeons can be exciting, and no doubt you’ll have lots of questions, so we want to make sure you know exactly what happens following your consultation to ensure you have a great patient experience.

You can expect your personal Patient Care Adviser (PCA) to give you a call the day after the appointment to find out how everything went. It’s important to us that all our surgeons are providing each and every one of our patients with the best possible appointment, so your feedback means a lot.

Your surgeon will have submitted your consultation form, which includes:

• Eligibility for surgery
• Proposed procedure
• The final all-inclusive price
• If a 2nd consultation is required
• All additional details such as implant shape/size and personal points such as “scar following c-section is keloid or tuberous breast correction needed."
• The type of anaesthesia proposed for surgery
• How many nights stay are required in the hospital
• Possible dates for surgery

Your Patient Care Adviser will talk you through all of this, ensuring you understand all aspects, are aware of the proposed procedure and that you have discussed likely results with the surgeon; also, they will answer any further questions you may have. At this stage, we do ask that you inform your PCA whether you will be moving forward or not with your procedure so that they can update your surgeon.

They will then be able to send you this final procedure plan and price via email, and should the proposed surgery date work for you and you’re happy moving forward, they will send you your procedure booking link. In the same way, you confirmed your consultation; you’ll be required to read through everything, including the cancellation policy and click to confirm.

Once you have confirmed your procedure, it notifies your PCA to book you in. This secures the date and ensures other patients cannot book it. It will also trigger your invoice to be generated, which you’ll receive via email. Depending on the payment method selected, you’ll either need to pay a 10% deposit or, if the surgery is happening within 30 days, the full amount. If you are using our loan option, your PCA will discuss signing the paperwork which releases the loan funds to Medbelle, allowing us to pay the surgeon, anaesthetist and hospital.

If a second consultation is required, your Patient Care Adviser shall also offer dates to you and book you in. You’ll receive a pre-and post-operative guide to help you plan for your procedure too.

Should there be no confirmed surgery dates available, you will be optioned a provisional date around the time you’d like to have your procedure. This will later be confirmed by your Patient Care Adviser. Booking a provisional date means you secure your final price as hospitals have a tendency to increase their hospital fees (they typically do this one to two times a year). You’ll also be top of the list in terms of priority when the surgery schedules do open up.

In order to make surgery as stress-free as possible, we recommend you work through this checklist to make sure you have everything organised. Again, your PCA is always available should you have questions.

• Book time off work as per the surgeon's recommendation.
• Ensure you have someone to pick you up from the hospital; you’ll need adult supervision for the first 24 hours after you leave the hospital and will not be able to drive.
• Arrange childcare and pet care. It's likely you won’t be able to run around after small children or care for pets for a period after surgery, so having friends and family pitch in after surgery will help your recovery.
• Shop for anything you may need for your recovery, including post-operative garments. Your Patient Care Adviser will make you aware if you need to provide one yourself.
• Be aware you may need pre-operative assessments that include blood pressure checks and, in some cases, MRSA checks. This typically takes place in the week leading up to surgery, and failure to have these checks may result in your surgery being postponed.
• Prepare the house; you’re going to want to come home to a tidy space where you can relax in. Cups and crockery all need to be accessible as raising your arms after many procedures will not be possible in the first couple of weeks. Make sure you have enough pillows so you can sleep propped up to assist with your circulation in recovery. Having books, crafts, or other entertainment to hand will help relieve boredom when you’re rested up at home, and it's not a bad idea to bulk-cook and freeze meals for easier meal times when you’re not feeling up to cooking.
• Stop taking any medication you’ve been told to. This is personal, so be sure to let your surgeon know everything you take, including multivitamins and minerals.
• Refrain from smoking or vaping. Smoking prior to your procedure may result in postponement of your procedure as your body needs to be completely nicotine free and in its healthiest condition.

It feels like a lot to organise, but remember your PCA is always on-hand to support you, even if it’s just a chat about how you’re feeling. We’re here to make your patient experience a great one and want you to know you’re in the very best of hands.