Private general surgery in Nottingham: hernia, gallbladder, bowel and thyroid procedures

Spire's general surgery page describes the abdominal area and intestines from the oesophagus to the bile ducts. It lists diagnostic procedures such as colonoscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy, gastroscopy, thyroid, liver and kidney tests and a bowel disorder test, and surgical treatments including anal fissure treatment, anal fistula surgery, surgery for anal warts, bowel surgery with colostomy and ileostomy, gallbladder and gallstone removal, haemorrhoid removal, hernia surgery, liver surgery and thyroidectomy.

A reflux option is listed as well: the LINX system, a magnetic ring placed around the lower oesophagus. The hospital's gastroenterology page also mentions Stretta for acid reflux, which gives a surgeon and a gastroenterologist the chance to discuss two device-based approaches. Related specialties on the page are bariatrics, colorectal surgery, endocrinology and diabetes, gastroenterology and vascular surgery.

Spire is at Tollerton Lane, about five miles south of the centre, with free unlimited parking and CT, MRI, ultrasound, X-ray and endoscopy listed on site. Because the hospital describes surgical theatres and a children and young people service, ask whether paediatric hernia work is carried out there before assuming it is.

Woodthorpe's general surgery page groups conditions by type. Hernias include double, femoral, female, paraumbilical, inguinal and incisional repairs, with TAPP and TEP keyhole techniques named. Digestive surgery is laparoscopic gallbladder surgery, skin and tissue procedures are haemorrhoidectomy and removal of cysts, lipomas, skin tags and moles, and the page also lists varicose vein surgery, kidney stone treatment and liver pain assessment.

The hospital has 41 en-suite bedrooms and two theatres with laminar air flow, as well as X-ray, MRI, CT and ultrasound, and a diagnostics page that includes upper GI endoscopy, colonoscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy and gastroscopy. It describes a consultant-led pathway that includes pre-tests, treatment and aftercare.

It is at 748 Mansfield Road in Woodthorpe, north of the centre, reached by the A60 and Egerton Road, with free on-site parking that one of its pages describes as limited. Woodthorpe says that NHS patients can choose it through their GP and that it aims to treat them within 18 weeks of the referral letter.

Nottingham University Hospitals' upper gastrointestinal service is at City Hospital on Hucknall Road. Its page lists reflux surgery, symptomatic and strangulated hiatus hernias, oesophageal and gastric cancers, achalasia, gallstone disease treated by laparoscopic cholecystectomy, gastrointestinal stromal tumours and Barrett's oesophagus, with general surgery for bowel problems and groin and abdominal wall hernias. A 22-bed ward, Winifred 2, supports the service, and the trust describes it as a regional centre receiving referrals from a wide area.

The Nottingham Colorectal Service, on E Floor, West Block at the Queen's Medical Centre, treats large bowel and anal cancer, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, diverticular disease, pelvic floor disorders, intestinal failure and complex abdominal wall conditions, and uses laparoscopic surgery and abdominal wall reconstruction. The trust also lists a Straight to Test service and a family history service.

A separate hepato-pancreatico-biliary service covers gallbladder, bile duct, pancreas and liver conditions and describes itself as a local and regional tertiary referral centre. In practice, that means a simple, planned gallbladder or hernia operation is available in several settings, while complicated pancreatic, liver or cancer surgery belongs in the NHS specialist units.

Gallstones are diagnosed by ultrasound and removed, if they cause symptoms, by keyhole gallbladder removal. Many patients go home the same day. Hernias are assessed by examination, with ultrasound if the diagnosis is uncertain, and repaired either open or by keyhole; the surgeon should explain mesh use, recurrence and the chance of long-term groin pain.

Haemorrhoids are graded by size and prolapse and managed from diet changes through banding to surgical removal. Anal fissures and fistulae differ in cause: a fissure is a tear, a fistula an abnormal channel, and the latter often needs a scan and careful surgery to protect continence. Thyroid surgery is usually considered for nodules, cancer or large goitres after blood tests, ultrasound and sometimes a needle biopsy.

Any new change in bowel habit with blood, unexplained weight loss or iron deficiency should be assessed through your GP, and suspected cancer is handled on a fast NHS pathway. Private surgery is better suited to planned, non-urgent problems where the diagnosis is already clear.

• Ultrasound: gallstones, hernias, thyroid nodules.

• Endoscopy: gastroscopy, colonoscopy and sigmoidoscopy to look at the gut lining.

• Blood tests: thyroid, liver and kidney function.

• Histology: laboratory examination of any tissue removed.

Ask where the consultant will operate, because some work at both hospitals and the NHS trust. Ask whether the operation is a day case and what would happen if you needed an overnight stay or an emergency transfer; neither hospital describes an emergency department, so a patient with a serious complication may be transferred to an NHS site.

Ask what the quote includes: consultant, anaesthetist, theatre, implants such as mesh or the LINX device, histology and follow-up appointments. For insured patients, check that the operation is covered, since some procedures such as certain reflux devices may not be. For self-pay patients, ask how a second operation would be charged.

This guide reflects pages checked in October 2026. If you have severe abdominal pain, vomiting, a hard tender lump or blood loss, do not wait for an outpatient slot: call 999 or go to A&E, or use NHS 111 if unsure.