Confusion over NHS surgeons

So today I went to 1 of my 3 consultations I have booked.
I'll put together all 3 consultations into one thread over the weekend. But for now I wanted to ask a question about NHS surgeons.

From reading posts on here, other forums online AND friends who have had BA's I've been told to see an NHS surgeon, because they do the most amout of treatments, the highest trained and they do reconstruction etc..

The lady I had consultation with this evening was VERY enthusiastic about how BAD NHS surgeons were, telling me they are shattered working so hours in hospitals, they don't want to work in clinics too! She went on to say that they don't half as many BA's and you can never get hold of them! - if they're that bad, why am I having a consultation with one of the best, face to face tomorrow??

This was a clinic manager and not a surgeon who told me this.

Am I getting confused between BAAPS and NHS surgeons?

I thought I understood this! Ha!

Xx

Which company was this with Hun?

Harley Medical. The surgeon would be Surgeon.

She was so lovely and I was really happy with the consultation as a whole.. But I was just in complete shock when she said this!

I still have my heart set on 'the Yorkshire clinic' meeting Me Foo tomorrow! Xx

Avoid HMG like the plague. x

Sales pitch

Two words - Sales Pitch. Of course theyre going to badmouth other surgeons, they want your business!

BAAPS and NHS surgeons are different. A lot of surgeons who work for the NHS will have their own private practise too, or work for a private company. This is how they make their money. They may or may not be BAAPS registered. Surgeons working for clinics tend (and I use the terms loosely because I don't know for fact) to just work privately, i.e. wont do NHS hours.

But if Im wrong, please someone correct me.

And of course she was nice, she wants you to splash out 4/5k and is probsbly on commission! Make your decision based on the surgeon you gel with and trust most. Ignore anyway else you meet along the way as they won't be cutting you open!

I meant Mr Sleiter the surgeon.

I don't think I would book with them. I just wanted to understand :( 

I wanted more than one opinion. So I booked 3
The 3rd is with THG (don't want to go with them either!!)

Good idea to get lots of opinions, just try to filter out the non sense and take note of the surgeons recommendations only to make comparisons. Enjoy your appts!

Foo also works at the Spire so I'm going to ask him the differenve between the two clinics/hospitals! X

Thanks Mammamia!

Who are you seeing at THG? I had Hassan Sulaiman do my surgeon, and he is absolutely lovely.  I did also meet with another one of their surgeons but he didn't fill with much confidence but I think that was largely due to the fact it was my first consult so I was nervous, plus I couldn't understand a word of what he was saying due to such a strong accent.  Feel awful saying that! x

the woman you met is paid to tell you anything and everything to make the clinic and it's surgeons look good and to have you as putty in her hands without you even realising it...having you walking out that door feeling you've just made a best friend for life! Lol. Once you walked out the door, she'll have forgotten your name and you became a file in her computer right before she's shouted NEXT! at reception. 

it's her job to protect the surgeons of their clinic Sarah, as you saw yesterday, the two surgeons you were thinking of seeing today, neither one of them is on the specialist register for plastic surgery...now if we're being honest here, if you had a heart condition wouldn't you want a heart specialist to operate on you? It's no different having your boobs done, you're having a surgeon coming at you with a scalpel and you're going to be wanting a surgeon who specialises in Plastics aren't you? And if you want to go further, you're then looking into surgeons who have a speciality in the field of plastics and that speciality being BOOBS. for those particular surgeons you're looking at memberships such as BAAPS/BAPRAS and the commecial clinics just don't attract those surgeons at all. Xx

In Scotland there are a couple of surgeons I know of who work both within the NHS & also clinics , they are BAAPS/BAPRAS registered, one in particular works with Transform &  is a consultant plastic surgeon specialising in Breast Reconstruction within the NHS, he also works with BMI, so surgeons with excellent qualifications can be found out there working at clinics too , maybe just not so many of them. XXX

Boobies2be, I went to the Leeds clinic and apparently Bernard Sleiter is the only surgeon there. The lady I saw 'clinic manager' was Katie.
I'm really glad you had a great experience!! :)
I have a feeling you love further South than me? 

Thank you Cookie, I knew you would put me at ease. I want to see a specialist :) xx

I'm sorry Boobies2be you meant THG Ermm Marcos Sforza he is Leeds again, and the clinical manager is Lisa x

I haven't really heard anything good about HMG to be honest. As mentioned above, many BAAPS and BAPRAS registered private surgeons also hold or have held good posts within the NHS. I had mine at the West Midlands Hospital where Embarrassing bodies is filmed and they pride themselves on the fact that all of their surgeons are BAAPS /BAPRAS registered and have also held highly esteemed posts within the NHS for a number of years. I have always understood it to be a positive not a negative aspect of the surgeons training.  if you have your heart set on a surgeon, I would track them down at another hospital/clinic they work at as HMG don't seem to be very ethical in my honest opinion.

mirren001 wrote:they are BAAPS/BAPRAS registered, one in particular works with Transform &  is a consultant plastic surgeon specialising in Breast Reconstruction within the NHS, he also works with BMI, so surgeons with excellent qualifications can be found out there working at clinics too , maybe just not so many of them. XXX

There are no BAAPS surgeons working at Transform. There are however two BAPRAS surgeons Woking within Transform, sorry for my error in my earlier post. There are however two BAPRAS members.

Ive always said there good surgeons to be found within commercial clinics, but you have to look to find them and ALWAYS check their qualifications. With the smaller private clinics however you don't need to be checking because you KNOW they will only take on reputable surgeons.  

I haven't had personal experience with transform or commercial clinics but can be handy if having lots of consultations & looking to save some money if you can find a BAPRAS  surgeon at a clinic that offers free consultations , even if it's just for more opinions & their advice.XXX

Absolutely agree that the options there...however after what many of the commercial clinics did to PIP ladies I'd rather pay £25 to MyBreast and be assured that any surgeon you're seeing, you're going to be seeing a good one in a reputable clinic and I believe they let you see more than one for the one consultation price if you asked for it. 

Just my opinion though.... 

I saw an nhs surgeon who is a nerve specialist and also runs his own private plastic surgery clinic and also met two consultants at transform ! The nhs consultant was the only one who did a full Breast examination re lumps etc and proper talk through procedures and all of the complications rather than giving me a checklist to asking me to highlight anything I didn't understand! He has also offered me three appts before proceeding with surgery to ensure I undersysnd everything free of charge!

I went to spire and I saw a BAAPS/BAPRAS surgeon but he also consults on the NHS but does mostly all his work at spire. He was also on embarrassing bodies which was reassuring for me not that it matters . Also I choose him because his speciality was breast augs & reconstruction . I did go to commercial company at first but didn't like it . Have to agree with cookie that the act like your best friend I gave mine a cuddle as I was so excited and over the moon with the patter she gave me, good job I took my mam as soon as we got out she was like " no she's a sales women " & she was she hounded me for weeks after. So glad I went private .. Good luck xx

Lol [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] cuddling your PCC 

My first PCC at Transform even went as far as to get her baps out to show me her "great boobs" just to help me feel that bit more inferior as I raced to sign on the dotted line offered to me by my new best friend lol. They'll do anything to grab that sale. Xx

I know I can't believe it I though she was really nice haha but she didn't fool my mother. No way did she haha your right they'll do anything 

Thank you so much for all your detailed responses. I think I understand it a lot better now.

It's amazing how they all want to promote and pitch to you how amazing their surgeons are, but actually only a select few seem to have the extra spark.. I think I know what I'm looking for now.

Really looking forward to the consultation tonight

'Mr. Foo's experience & credentials can be easily verified by checking the GMC Specialist Register (link GMC), The British Association of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeons (BAPRAS) and British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS). '     -     Fingers crossed he'll be my guy!