• Base of thumb arthritis

    • Carpal tunnel syndrome (median nerve compression)

    • Cubital tunnel syndrome (ulna nerve compression)

    • De Quervain’s tenosynovitis (tendonitis)

    • Dupuytren’s disease (finger contracture)

    • Finger deformity (e.g. traumatic, arthritis)

    • Fingernail problems

    • Ganglion cysts (e.g. wrist and fingers)

    • Guyon’s canal syndrome (ulna nerve compression)

    • Hand and wrist arthritis (e.g. osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis)

    • Hand fractures (e.g. metacarpals, phalanges)

    • Joint pain (e.g. arthritis)

    • Lumps and bumps (e.g. ganglion cysts, giant cell tumours)

    • Mucoid cysts (also called mucous cysts)

    • Repetitive strain injuries (e.g. tendonitis)

    • Scaphoid non-union (fracture)

    • Tendon injuries

    • Numbness of hand (e.g. carpal tunnel syndrome)

    • Pins and needles of hand (e.g. carpal tunnel syndrome)

    • Tendon instability (e.g. ECU tendon, sagittal band deficiency)

    • Tendonitis (e.g. ECU tendon, De Quervain’s)

    • Thumb ligament injury (e.g. ulnar collateral ligament)

    • Trigger finger / thumb (tendonitis)

    • Wartenberg’s syndrome (superficial radial nerve compression)

    • Wrist fractures (e.g. scaphoid)

    • Wrist ganglions (cysts)

    • Wrist ligament injury (e.g. scapholunate ligament)

    • Wrist triangular cartilage tears (triangular fibrocartilage complex [TFCC])

  • If you are insured, Matthew is recognised and fee-assured with all the major UK private health insurers. You will be expected to provide your policy number and a pre-authorisation code (confirming your insurer’s agreement to cover the consultation cost) ahead of your appointment with Matthew. If you are unsure what is required, please call Spire Shawfair Park Hospital on 0131 654 5600, or contact his private secretary, Cara Lewis, on 0131 604 0050.

    If you have had relevant X-rays or scans (like an MRI or CT) completed elsewhere, you are recommended to call Spire and arrange for the external images (and the scan report) to be transferred electronically ahead of your appointment so that Matthew can review them during your consultation. This will save valuable time on the day. Alternatively you can bring any relevant scans with you to your consultation (e.g. on a CD); however, this will take a bit more time and sometimes they cannot be uploaded.

  • Matthew is recognised and fee-assured with all the major UK private health insurers.

    If you are insured, prices are set according to the agreed scales of your insurance provider. You will be expected to provide your policy number and a pre-authorisation code (confirming your insurer’s agreement to cover the consultation cost) ahead of your appointment with Matthew.

    If Matthew recommends any investigations or tests, such as MRI or CT scans, blood tests and/or nerve conduction studies, you will likely be required to contact your insurance provider for a separate authorisation code. An authorisation code is sometimes required for X-rays. If Matthew recommends a non-surgical treatment (e.g. steroid injection or physiotherapy) or surgery, you will also be required to contact your insurance provider for an authorisation code. Matthew will give you the time you require to make any calls with your insurance provider.

    A follow-up appointment will be required to discuss the results of any investigations not completed at the time of your consultation with Matthew.

    You may also want time to consider your options before making a decision regarding investigations or treatment. If required, you will be invited to contact Matthew’s private secretary with your decision and provide the necessary authorisation code.

  • Your first consultation with Matthew will include a discussion of your hand or wrist problem and any pre-existing medical conditions you may have. Matthew will take the time to understand your symptoms (e.g. pain, stiffness, numbness) and enquire how these may be impacting your day to day activities, including your work, hobbies and sleep. Thereafter, Matthew will focus his examination on the affected area or areas of your hand or wrist to help him reach a likely or potential diagnosis. 

    A family member or friend may accompany you during the consultation if preferred.

    To help aid Matthew make a diagnosis (and sometimes to help assess the severity of your problem), he may recommend further investigations or tests, such as X-rays, MRI or CT scans, blood tests and/or nerve conduction studies. X-rays and blood tests can usually be performed on the same day as your consultation; however, other investigations (including MRI and CT scans, ultrasounds, and nerve conduction studies) will usually require a return visit. 

    If you have had X-rays or scans completed elsewhere you may bring them to your consultation or arrange for them to be transferred to the private hospital from an external provider. This will save valuable time on the day.

  • If you are insured, prices are set according to the agreed scales of your insurance provider. Matthew is recognised and fee-assured with all the major UK private health insurers. You will be expected to provide your policy number and a pre-authorisation code (confirming your insurer’s agreement to cover the consultation cost) ahead of your appointment with Matthew.

    If you are not insured (self pay), it is important that you are aware of the expected cost of out-patient consultations. Matthew offers transparent fees for all of his self pay patients. An initial consultation with Matthew will cost £200, with any follow-up consultations - if needed - costing £130 (e.g. following a scan or treatment).

    Your initial consultation with Matthew will include a discussion of your problem (and any pre-existing medical conditions) and an examination of your hand or wrist to help reach a diagnosis. The consultation fee does not cover the costs of any scans, investigations or treatments that may be recommended. 

    Private consultation and treatment fees are governed by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and further pricing information can be provided upon request. The private hospital where Matthew consults may also have their own fee schedule for investigations and medications.

  • A new patient consultation with Matthew (initial consultation) will last up to 30 minutes. The duration will depend on the complexity of your condition, with simple conditions taking less long than more complex problems. Matthew will ensure that he takes sufficient time to assess your problem and formulate a likely or potential diagnosis. Matthew will clearly and carefully explain your diagnosis and the proposed management options available to you. You will be invited to ask questions to ensure your understanding and satisfaction. 

    A follow-up consultation - if needed - will last up to 20 minutes. Follow-up consultations are usually scheduled to discuss the results of any scans or investigations and to review your recovery and progress following an intervention or treatment.

  • Not all hand conditions require scans or investigations like X-rays. However, many orthopaedic or joint-related conditions will require X-rays to be performed. Such imaging may be used to confirm a diagnosis and/or the severity of any joint changes or deformity (e.g. arthritis or osteoarthritis). Although Matthew will explain why scans or X-rays may be desirable, it is up to you to decide if these are performed.

    X-rays can usually be performed on the same day as your consultation; however other scans (including MRI, CT and ultrasound) usually require a return visit. A follow-up appointment with Matthew will be required to discuss the results of any investigations not completed at the time of your initial consultation.

    If you are insured, the cost of an X-ray is often covered by your insurance provider as part of the initial authorisation; however, you are advised to check this before your appointment. Other scans, like MRI, CT or ultrasound, are expensive and will almost always require authorisation. The cost of scans are set by the private hospital or alternative external provider.

    If you are not insured (self pay), it is important that you are aware of the potential extra costs of X-rays and other scans or investigations that may be recommended (these are not included in the consultation fee). Matthew offers transparent fees for all of his self pay patients; however, the cost of scans or investigations like X-rays are set by the private hospital or alternative external provider. A follow-up appointment with Matthew will be required to discuss the results of any investigations not completed at the time of your initial consultation.

  • Although Matthew does treat children with traumatic injuries to their hands in the NHS, he does not currently treat children privately.

  • Matthew manages the full breadth of age-related (degenerative), sporting and traumatic hand conditions. He is especially interested in hand and wrist arthritis (including base of thumb), Dupuytren’s disease, arthroscopic (keyhole) wrist surgery, sports injuries (including bone, tendon and ligament injury) and nerve compression syndromes (including carpal and cubital tunnel). However, there are a few conditions that Matthew does not treat. 

    Matthew does not treat the following conditions:

    • Congenital or birth-related hand conditions (e.g. syndactyly or fused/webbed fingers).

    • Brachial plexus nerve injuries (the brachial plexus is a network of nerves in the neck and shoulder region).

    • Skin cancers.

    Matthew may also use his broad clinical experience to direct you to a more appropriate specialty after he has assessed your condition (e.g. if he considers that your condition would be better managed by a different team). For example, skin conditions may require review by a dermatologist (a medically-trained skin specialist) or plastic surgeon (a surgically-trained skin and soft tissue specialist), and inflammatory arthritis (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis) may require review by a rheumatologist (a medically-trained inflammatory joint specialist). When inflammatory arthritis is optimised with medications, Matthew can be consulted on whether hand therapy, injections or surgery can help with any residual pain or functional difficulties (e.g. due to joint degeneration or deformity). 

  • Matthew will always aim to prioritise non-surgical treatments and advice before considering surgery. Most hand conditions will not require surgery or will be better treated with non-surgical alternatives in the first instance (e.g. splintage, pain killers, steroid injections, physiotherapy, functional advice). The decision to proceed with surgery is yours and it is important that you are fully informed regarding the aims of surgery (e.g. pain relief), its limitations (e.g. stiffness, incomplete pain relief) and the potential risks and complications (e.g. infection). Thankfully complications are quite rare in hand surgery but unfortunately they can still occur.

    In addition, Matthew will also discuss the expected peri-operative journey (e.g. duration, daycase, anaesthetic type), and any post-operative restrictions and requirements (e.g. immobilisation in a bandage or cast, requirement for physiotherapy, time off driving, hobbies and work). Matthew will take the time to provide verbal and written advice on the above. You will be invited to ask questions to ensure your understanding and satisfaction before a decision is made on whether to proceed with surgery.

    Matthew provides evidence-based surgical care. His broad surgical experience and training enables Matthew to integrate orthopaedic, plastic surgery and reconstructive operative techniques. More information on the types of surgery offered by Matthew are included in the Treatments section.

  • Thankfully complications are quite rare in hand surgery but unfortunately they can still occur. The decision to proceed with surgery is yours and it is important that you are fully informed regarding the aims of surgery (e.g. pain relief), its limitations (e.g. stiffness, incomplete pain relief) and the potential risks and complications (e.g. infection). 

    The decision to proceed with an operation should always follow an assessment of the potential risks and the expected benefits (often termed a ‘risk-benefit analysis’). If the risks outweigh any potential benefits Matthew will advise against an operation. Conversely, if you consider the benefits to outweigh the potential risks then surgery may be an option after all non-surgical treatments have been tried first. Any expected limitations of an operation will also be discussed. A limitation is different from a complication. For example, some operations may be expected to provide incomplete improvements (e.g. pain relief) and other operations may have an expected trade-off, e.g. a benefit (such as pain relief) occurs at the expense of joint mobility or movement (stiffness). 

    Matthew will take the time to discuss the potential risks of any proposed surgery. For all operations there will be ‘general risks’ that are universal to most surgeries (such as infection, bleeding, pain, skin scarring, other risks) and ‘specific risks’ linked to the operation being proposed (including stiffness or nerve injury). You will be invited to ask questions to ensure your understanding and satisfaction before a decision is made on whether to proceed with surgery.

    Following an operation, Matthew will complete a thorough clinical review at your follow-up appointment. Matthew and his team will help identify any problems early so that they can be assessed and treated promptly and appropriately. For questions or problems arising between appointments, Matthew can be contacted through the hospital or his secretary (see Contact section). We will aim to provide a response within 24 hours on weekdays. For urgent problems or questions that arise outside of weekday and daytime hours, you should consider contacting alternative medical services (e.g. NHS 111 helpline, local emergency department).

    More information on the risks of surgery are included under the operations listed in the Treatments section.

  • Yes, Matthew is able to offer video consultations in the private sector. Video consultations avoid patients and any carers from having to travel to hospital for a face-to-face (or in-person) appointment. Some patients live far away from Edinburgh and a video consultation will save them time and travel arrangements. Patients can schedule video consultations from their own home or office, or indeed anywhere private with a secure internet connection.

    However, there are limitations to video consultations, and the requirement for Matthew to examine your hand or wrist (especially at the first appointment) makes virtual consultations better suited to some selected follow-up appointments (e.g. to discuss the results of a scan). A video consultation is subject to the same fee schedule as an in-person consultation. Matthew can also offer telephone consultations for some selected follow-up appointments. In the private sector, a telephone consultation is subject to the same fee schedule as an in-person follow-up consultation.

    If using a video (or telephone) consultation, we both agree that it does not replace a face-to-face appointment with clinical examination. Having appreciated the limitations, we would both agree that a video (or telephone) consultation would still have value in the management of your condition. 

  • Find out more on our Contact page.

  • If you are paying via a health insurance provider, you are likely to need a GP referral. Please check with your provider for more information. If you do not have private health insurance, and are self-paying for your consultation, you do not need a GP referral.