Miss Picardo grew up in St Albans, Hertfordshire and qualified at Royal Free and University College London medical school in 2005 with an MBBS degree. . At medical school, she also completed a first-class intercalated research degree (MSC (Hons)) in Immunology and Pathology where she studied the principles underlying joint disease.

After graduating, she undertook core surgical training in London before a prestigious fellowship at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital where she cowrote the seminal Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT)paper and launched it at the House of Commons in 2012. This paper was pivotal in reforming modern medical and surgical practice in the UK and abroad. 

Natasha completed specialist Trauma and Orthopaedic training at the Royal London rotation.  Whilst training, she undertook a committee role in the British Orthopaedic Trainees Association working to improve orthopaedic training and encourage medical students to join the specialty. 
In her final years of training, she began specialising in hand surgery.  She was awarded a fellowship at the prestigious tertiary hand unit in Birmingham where she learned complex reconstructive and microvascular hand techniques. Her work here during the COVID pandemic was published in the British Medical Journal and was presented at international conferences. During this time she was also awarded a Diploma in Hand Surgery from the Federation of European Societies for Surgery of the Hand ( FESSH).

Natasha undertook 18 months as a locum consultant at the hand unit at University Hospitals Leicester before obtaining a substantive post at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading. Miss Picardo has experience in wide-awake local anaesthesia surgery  (WALANT) and set up a procedure room operating service at Townlands hospital in Henley. She also set up one-stop services for Dupuytren's disease and hand and wrist arthritis at Royal Berkshire Hospital which featured on the ITV news. This work was nominated in 2024 for a CARE award at the trust, a testament to her dedication to streamlined efficient patient care. Her work has frequently featured in local newspapers.

Natasha remains actively involved in research and has been an investigator in clinical trials investigating hand therapy after wrist fixation and more recently optimal treatments for base of thumb arthritis. She has written over 15 PubMed-indexed surgical papers, and presented nationally and internationally at over 60 prestigious conferences. She also reviews articles for the British medical journal. 

Natasha is a respected teacher and educator for junior doctors, allied healthcare professionals and medical students. She has been an anatomy demonstrator at imperial college and is an appointed member of the Faculty of surgical trainers. She has published a textbook in hand surgery for junior doctors. 

Outside work Natasha is married with 2 sons and enjoys skiing, travel, opera and yoga. 

Current appointments:
1. Substantive T&O consultant with specialist interest in hand and wrist, Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading
2. Orthopaedic lead for clinical governance, Royal Berkshire Hospital
3. Consultant at Circle Hospital, Reading

Clinical Interests

Miss Picardo treats all conditions of the hand and wrist, this can involve directed therapy, injections or surgery.
Her specialist clinical interests include;

• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Trigger finger
• Ganglions
• Benign soft tissue tumours
• Dupuytren’s disease
• Arthritis of the hand and wrist

She also specialises in trauma surgery particularly of the upper limb.

• Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons (2019)
• Member of the British Society for Surgery of the Hand ( BSSH)
• General Medical Council
• MDDUS (Medical defence union)