Private urology in Nottingham: prostate, bladder and kidney stone care

Spire's urology page describes the specialty as dealing with diseases of the urinary and reproductive tracts in men and of the urinary tract in women, and says it offers fast access to diagnosis, treatment and aftercare for benign and malignant conditions. Its listed investigations are cancer tests, bladder investigation by cystoscopy, a kidney X-ray called a retrograde pyelogram, and urodynamics, which measure how the bladder and urethra store and release urine.

On the treatment side the page names bladder lesion removal, circumcision, removal of epididymal cysts, hydrocele surgery, kidney stone treatment, prostate surgery, testicular implants and vasectomy. The hospital also lists general imaging, with CT, MRI, ultrasound and X-ray, which are the tests most often used to work up flank pain, blood in the urine or an abnormal prostate blood test.

The hospital is on Tollerton Lane, about five miles south of the city, with free unlimited parking, and the page about the hospital describes consultations in as little as 24 hours. Most urology visits are outpatient or day-case, so the parking and taxi times matter more than overnight facilities, but the hospital does have surgical theatres and an endoscopy suite according to its main page.

Woodthorpe's urology page is organised into tests, treatments and conditions. Tests are rigid and flexible cystoscopy for men, and its diagnostics page also lists the female equivalents. Treatments include Aquablation therapy, which the page describes as a robotic, minimally invasive treatment for an enlarged prostate, UroLift, TURP, vasectomy, hydrocele surgery, removal of benign scrotal lumps, circumcision, urethrotomy for a narrowed urethra and erectile dysfunction treatment.

The conditions section lists a men's health check, recurrent urinary tract infections and kidney pain. The wider general surgery page also lists kidney stone treatment. Woodthorpe has 41 en-suite bedrooms and two theatres, plus X-ray, MRI, CT and ultrasound, so an evaluation of kidney or prostate problems can often be completed on one site.

The hospital is at 748 Mansfield Road, north of the centre, reached from the A60 via Egerton Road. Its pages mention free on-site parking, although one describes it as limited, so allow time at busy clinics. The hospital also describes complimentary consultant advice, which is useful for a short conversation about whether a procedure is appropriate before committing to a plan.

The Nottingham Urology Centre, based at City Hospital on Hucknall Road, is described by Nottingham University Hospitals as a regional referral centre for general and specialist urology. Its facilities are modern outpatient clinics, an endoscopy suite, on-site lithotripsy to break up kidney stones, urodynamics and three dedicated urology operating theatres. The trust says its consultants have developed specialised practices so that they can manage any urological condition, and it provides incontinence services.

For a private patient in Nottingham, that means the complex end of urology, such as advanced cancer surgery or reconstructive work, normally sits with the NHS centre, while many routine procedures can be done in either sector. If you start privately, ask the consultant to write a full report for your GP so that any later NHS care can pick up without repeating investigations.

In England, the NHS guide says routine consultant-led care should begin within 18 weeks of referral, and suspected cancer should be confirmed or ruled out within 28 days. If you need to be seen sooner than the NHS is able to offer, your GP can still refer you under Right to Choose to a provider with an NHS contract, and Woodthorpe says it aims to treat NHS patients within 18 weeks of the referral letter.

Enlarged prostate is the most frequent reason men seek a urologist: a weak stream, hesitancy, getting up at night and a feeling of incomplete emptying. Assessment usually includes a symptom score, a urine test, a flow rate and sometimes a scan of the bladder after voiding. The choices run from medication to procedures such as TURP, UroLift or Aquablation, which differ in how they remove or open the prostate and in side effects such as ejaculation changes; this is a conversation to have with the surgeon.

Blood in the urine, even once, should be checked, and typically leads to a flexible cystoscopy, a scan and urine tests. A flexible cystoscopy passes a thin telescope through the urethra, usually under local anaesthetic gel. Kidney stones cause colicky pain in the flank and are confirmed with a low-dose CT scan or ultrasound; small stones may pass naturally while larger ones may need lithotripsy or ureteroscopy.

Vasectomy is usually a short local-anaesthetic procedure, and hydrocele and scrotal lump surgery are common day-case operations. Recurrent urinary infections in women or men need cultures and sometimes imaging to look for a cause. Erectile dysfunction can be an early sign of vascular disease and diabetes, so a full health check is part of a good assessment.

• Urine tests and flow rate: first-line tests for urinary symptoms.

• Cystoscopy: direct look at the bladder lining.

• CT or ultrasound: stones, masses and kidney structure.

• Urodynamics: pressure studies for complex bladder problems.

Ask which hospital the consultant operates at and whether the procedure you are considering is carried out regularly there. Newer prostate procedures vary in availability, and the lists on the two hospitals' pages are not identical, so confirm that the exact operation, not just the specialty, is offered.

Ask about follow-up: who removes a catheter, who reviews the pathology, and who you contact with a problem out of hours. If you are insured, check whether the policy covers the procedure and whether it needs authorisation. If you are paying yourself, ask for an itemised quote covering the consultant, anaesthetist, implants or devices, tests and follow-up appointments.

This guide reflects pages checked in October 2026. For sudden inability to pass urine, severe loin pain with fever, or testicular pain that comes on quickly, seek urgent care via NHS 111, A&E or 999 rather than waiting for a private slot.