Private neurology in Manchester: headache, epilepsy, stroke and concussion services

There is no single neurosciences hospital in Manchester's independent sector. Instead, the neurology a patient might use is distributed: clinic-based consultant care at Spire Manchester, a stroke service and imaging at the Nuffield Health Diagnostic Suite off Oxford Road, and a concussion clinic at the Manchester Institute of Health and Performance in east Manchester. Oaklands in Salford and the Christie Private Care did not list neurology on the pages read for this guide.

The practical consequence is that most private neurology here is outpatient work: a consultation, a scan, sometimes a nerve or brain-wave test, and a treatment plan that is usually medicines or injections. Surgery on the brain or spine would normally involve a referral to a specialist centre.

The hospital's neurology page describes consultants who see people with migraine, persistent headaches, dizziness, tingling or numbness. It lists named conditions: Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, chronic migraine and neuralgia, which is nerve pain. Treatments named are headache treatments, injection treatment for chronic migraine and treatment for neuralgia. The page did not name specific neurophysiology tests such as EEG or nerve conduction studies, so ask directly if you need one.

Spire's address is 170 Barlow Moor Road, Didsbury, M20 2AF, with free private parking, Withington Metrolink and buses on Princess Road as described on its own page. Because MRI and CT are on site, a scan requested at a first appointment may not require a second trip.

The hospital's neurology and endocrinology pages mention a clinic in Hale village, but its about page described that clinic as closed for refurbishment when read, so check the venue when you arrange an appointment.

The Manchester Stroke Clinic is listed by Nuffield Health at its Diagnostic Suite on Nelson Street (M13 9NQ). The suite's retrieved page did not explain who the clinic is intended for or what pathway it follows, so questions about whether it handles prevention, after-effects of a transient ischaemic attack or follow-up after hospital care are best put to the suite itself. It is open Monday to Friday, which means it cannot respond to an emergency; a suspected stroke is a 999 call.

At the Manchester Institute of Health and Performance on Alan Turing Way, the listed concussion clinic sits among sports-medicine services. Concussion assessment typically covers symptoms such as headache, dizziness, poor concentration and sleep change, the history of the injury, and a plan for graded return to activity. If there has been loss of consciousness, repeated vomiting, confusion, a worsening headache or any weakness, urgent hospital assessment is the appropriate step.

Headache is the commonest. A neurologist will usually separate migraine, tension-type headache and rarer patterns, and review medication use because frequent painkillers can themselves sustain headaches. Chronic migraine, defined by headache on many days per month, is where injection treatment may be considered, as Spire mentions.

Seizures or blackouts lead to a history, sometimes an EEG and often an MRI of the brain. Tremor, slowness or stiffness may prompt assessment for Parkinson's disease, which is diagnosed largely by clinical examination. Pins and needles, numbness or weakness may be explored with MRI of the brain or spine, or with nerve studies, and persistent nerve pain is treated with specific medicines that differ from ordinary painkillers.

• Migraine and headache: diagnosis by history, review of medicines, sometimes an MRI.

• Epilepsy and blackouts: description of events, EEG, MRI, medication planning.

• Parkinson's and tremor: clinical examination, sometimes scanning to exclude other causes.

• Numbness and nerve pain: examination, imaging and sometimes nerve conduction tests.

NHS neurology in the city is commissioned by NHS Greater Manchester ICB. Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, whose site list includes Manchester Royal Infirmary and Wythenshawe Hospital, is the large trust in the city. Under NHS England guidance the maximum wait for non-urgent consultant-led care is 18 weeks and patients have a legal right to choose where they are referred, through the e-Referral Service.

Some neurological problems need speed on the NHS side, including suspected stroke, sudden severe headache and prolonged seizures. These are emergencies and go via 999 or A&E.

Ask which tests the consultant expects to order and where they would take place, as the Spire page did not list specific electrical tests. Ask whether an MRI will be reported by a neuroradiologist, and how results reach your GP. For chronic conditions, ask whether the consultant will provide ongoing follow-up or discharge you to the GP with a plan, because private and NHS prescribing arrangements can differ.

If you are insured, check that the policy covers diagnosis for long-term conditions, since many policies pay for investigation and acute treatment but not continuing care for chronic illness.