Seeing a Private Consultant Urologist in London: What to Expect

If you have found yourself searching for a private urologist in London, you are probably in one of a few situations: you are waiting weeks on the NHS and need to move faster, your GP has suggested urology but you want to choose who you see, or you have a specific symptom — blood in the urine, a rising PSA, difficulty passing urine — that needs proper assessment. This guide covers the pathway itself, rather than the individual conditions. My aim is to explain what happens, what private care costs, and what to look for, so you can make a genuinely informed decision about where to go next.

What does a consultant urologist actually do?

Urology is a surgical specialty, which means a consultant urologist is trained both to investigate and to operate. The training pathway in the UK takes at least 12 years after medical school and culminates in the FRCS (Urol) — Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons in Urology — awarded by the Joint Committee on Surgical Training and the Royal College of Surgeons of England.

A consultant urologist assesses symptoms, interprets investigations — scans, blood tests, biopsies, cystoscopy — and recommends treatment. That treatment might be medical (medication), minimally invasive (a day procedure under local anaesthetic), or surgical. Many conditions that patients first raise with their GP end up being managed, long-term, by a urologist.

Not all urologists have the same focus. Some subspecialise in cancer (uro-oncology), others in stone disease, functional urology, or men's health. Knowing what sub-specialty interest your consultant brings matters more than the clinic address. I focus on robotic urological surgery and uro-oncology alongside a full general urology practice — so patients with prostate concerns, kidney tumours or complex investigations can expect someone who deals with those conditions at volume, every week.

Why patients choose private urology in London

The most common reason is time. NHS urology referrals — depending on the trust and the clinical priority — can carry waits of two to four months for a first outpatient appointment, and longer still for investigations such as flexible cystoscopy or prostate MRI. Blood in the urine, a rapidly rising PSA or a new renal lesion on a scan should not wait that long for assessment.

But speed is only part of it. Private practice offers several structural differences that matter clinically:

• You see a consultant, not a trainee. NHS outpatient clinics are often run by specialist registrars, not the named consultant. Privately, you are guaranteed to see Mr Ameen in person at every appointment.
• No GP referral is required. You can self-refer directly. A referral letter is helpful — it gives context and ensures your GP is kept in the loop — but it is not a prerequisite.
• Continuity from assessment through to any surgery. Across NHS pathways, patients often see different doctors at each stage. Privately, the same consultant who assessed you will perform any procedure or surgery. This matters most when you are facing a cancer diagnosis and the decision-making is nuanced.
• Same-day investigations. Flexible cystoscopy, renal tract ultrasound, urinary flow rate testing and blood tests including PSA can often be arranged on the day of your consultation or within a few days — rather than spread across separate appointments over weeks.
• Choice of hospital. I see patients at four private locations across London and Hertfordshire. You choose what is most convenient.

Common conditions seen in a private urology clinic

Urology covers more ground than most patients expect. The following are among the most frequent reasons people attend a private urology clinic in London:

Prostate concerns. A raised PSA on a blood test, urinary symptoms (hesitancy, poor flow, getting up at night, urgency), a family history of prostate cancer, or a diagnosis already established elsewhere. I will interpret PSA in context — accounting for age, prostate volume, PSA velocity and density — rather than treating it as an isolated number. Where indicated, prostate MRI and biopsy are arranged promptly. Benign prostate enlargement (BPH) is also extremely common in men over 50 and, when medication stops working or causes side effects, there are minimally invasive and surgical options including Rezūm, Aquablation and TURP.

Blood in the urine (haematuria). Visible blood in the urine should always be investigated without delay. Even a single episode warrants a haematuria assessment: flexible cystoscopy (camera examination of the bladder) and upper tract imaging. The majority of cases have a benign cause — a urinary tract infection, a kidney stone, or microscopic damage from exercise — but bladder cancer and kidney cancer both commonly present this way, and the sooner they are excluded, the better.

Kidney stones. Renal colic is one of the most acutely painful conditions in medicine. Stone disease is assessed with CT imaging, which confirms the stone's size, position and likely composition. Small stones often pass spontaneously with appropriate analgesia and hydration; larger or obstructing stones may require ureteroscopy (laser fragmentation) or shock wave lithotripsy.

Kidney tumours. Renal masses are increasingly found as incidental findings on scans done for other reasons — back pain, abdominal symptoms, a health screening scan. When a lesion is identified, urgent specialist assessment determines whether it is benign, indeterminate or malignant. I perform robotic partial nephrectomy (removal of the tumour while preserving the kidney) for eligible cases — an approach that achieves equivalent cancer control while protecting long-term kidney function.

Bladder conditions and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). Overactive bladder, urinary urgency and leakage, bladder pain, and recurrent urinary tract infections all fall within urology. Assessment includes urinalysis, flow rate measurement, and a bladder diary; cystoscopy is arranged if there is any concern about the bladder lining.

Men's health. No-scalpel vasectomy, hydrocele repair, epididymal cysts, testicular lumps (always worth assessing promptly), and erectile dysfunction where there may be an underlying vascular or hormonal cause. A urology consultation is often the most direct route for these issues — faster than extended GP investigation.

What happens at your first private urology appointment

Many patients are not sure what to bring or what they will be asked. Here is a straightforward account of what to expect:

History and symptom review. The consultation begins with a detailed history: your current symptoms, how long they have been present, what makes them better or worse, previous investigations, current medications, and relevant personal and family medical history. Bring any previous test results with you — PSA blood tests, urine culture reports, scan reports, clinic letters, biopsy pathology. These will be reviewed in the room, not just filed away.

Focused physical examination. Depending on your presenting concern, a brief examination will be offered. For prostate or lower urinary tract symptoms, this includes a digital rectal examination. For haematuria or kidney concerns, an abdominal examination. You are always in control and can decline any examination — though the findings are often clinically useful.

Same-day investigations, where appropriate. The private pathway allows many investigations to happen on the day or within a few days. Flexible cystoscopy is a brief camera examination of the bladder using a thin, flexible scope under local anaesthetic gel. It takes around five minutes, causes discomfort rather than pain, and provides immediate information. Urinary flow rate testing, renal tract ultrasound, and blood tests including PSA can all be co-ordinated at the same visit.

A clear plan, communicated directly. You will leave with a clear understanding of what has been found, what the differential diagnoses are, and what happens next — whether that is further investigation, a management plan, or a follow-up date. Letters go to your GP promptly. Between appointments, the PA is accessible by phone and email.

Robotic surgery — why volume and experience matter

Not every patient who sees a urologist will need surgery. But when surgery is on the table, the operating surgeon's experience is one of the most significant variables in outcome — and this is worth understanding before you choose who to consult.

Robotic surgery, using the da Vinci surgical system, is now the standard of care for radical prostatectomy (surgical removal of the prostate), robotic partial nephrectomy (kidney-sparing tumour surgery), and a number of other urological procedures. The clinical evidence is consistent: outcomes for robotic prostatectomy — continence recovery, potency preservation and cancer control — correlate directly with surgical volume. Surgeons performing fewer than 20 cases per year have measurably worse outcomes than those performing 50 or more.

I hold the NHS Lead post for Robotic Urological Surgery at West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals — one of the regional robotic referral centres for the NHS — and have performed over 500 robotic prostatectomies. My outcomes place me in the top 25% of European robotic surgeons on the ERUS (EAU Robotic Urology Section) registry. I also perform Retzius-sparing robotic prostatectomy, a posterior approach that preserves the structures responsible for early urinary continence, offering most patients significantly faster return to pad-free continence compared with the standard technique.

For patients who may not need surgery immediately, having a high-volume surgical consultant as their primary specialist from the outset means that if surgery becomes necessary — urgently or later in the disease course — there is no referral gap. The surgeon who has followed your case from diagnosis is the surgeon who operates. In prostate cancer especially, where decisions between active surveillance, radiotherapy and surgery are often made over months, this continuity matters.

Private clinic locations

I see private patients at four locations:

Insurance and self-pay

I am recognised by Bupa, AXA Health, Aviva and most major UK private health insurers. If you hold private health cover, contact your insurer before booking to confirm whether they require a GP referral letter for authorisation — this varies between policies. Once you have any required pre-authorisation, booking through the PA is straightforward. Your insurer will receive the clinical report and invoice directly.

Self-pay patients are very welcome. Fees are transparent and itemised. The consultation fee covers the appointment itself; any same-day investigations are agreed and costed separately before they are arranged. There are no add-on charges you have not been informed about. As a general guide, a private urology consultation in London is typically in the £250–£350 range; same-day flexible cystoscopy adds approximately £400–£600 depending on the facility. Surgical procedures are quoted in full — consultant, anaesthetist and hospital — before you commit.

To enquire about fees, confirm clinic availability or book an appointment, contact PA Belinda Devine directly: 0204 558 6750 or [email protected]. You can also book online at any time.