Mr Navin Verghese is a Consultant Spinal Surgeon with more than a decade of consultant experience, specialising in the assessment and treatment of adult spinal conditions. He has a particular interest in degenerative conditions affecting the cervical and lumbar spine.

Alongside his clinical practice, Mr Verghese holds senior leadership roles in the development of spinal and orthopaedic services across Wales. He is currently National Clinical Director of the Wales Orthopaedic Network (WON) and Clinical Director of the South Wales Spinal Network (SWSN). Through these roles, he contributes to the development of clinical pathways, specialist surgical networks and models of care designed to improve the quality, consistency and accessibility of spinal and orthopaedic services.

Mr Verghese was appointed as an NHS Consultant Spinal Surgeon in 2013 and is based at Morriston Hospital, Swansea. He treats a broad range of spinal conditions, including sciatica, disc prolapse, spinal stenosis, cervical radiculopathy, cervical myelopathy and spondylolisthesis. His wider practice includes complex and revision spinal surgery, spinal reconstruction, spinal trauma, spinal tumours and metastatic spinal cord compression.

He believes that effective spinal care starts with an accurate diagnosis and a clear understanding of each patient's symptoms, expectations and goals. He takes time to explain imaging findings and to distinguish changes that are likely to be causing symptoms from common age-related changes seen on spinal scans.

Where appropriate, Mr Verghese recommends non-operative treatment and believes that spinal surgery should only be considered when there is a clear indication and a reasonable expectation of meaningful benefit.

When surgery is appropriate, treatment is tailored to the individual patient. His surgical expertise includes microdiscectomy, spinal decompression, cervical surgery, lumbar fusion and complex spinal reconstruction. He has particular expertise in contemporary lumbar reconstruction techniques, including anterior and lateral lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF and XLIF), minimally invasive spinal surgery and complex revision procedures. His NHS practice also incorporates advanced technologies such as 3D navigation-assisted spinal surgery.

Mr Verghese graduated in Medicine from St Bartholomew's and The Royal London School of Medicine in 2003 before undertaking surgical training in London and Essex.

He subsequently joined the All Wales Trauma and Orthopaedic Higher Surgical Training Programme, completing specialist spinal training at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff and the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital in Oswestry.

In 2012, he was awarded an AO International Spinal Fellowship in Brisbane, Australia. During this fellowship, he gained further experience in contemporary spinal surgery, including spinal reconstruction, deformity surgery and the management of complex spinal conditions.

He was appointed as a Consultant Spinal Surgeon in Swansea in 2013.

Mr Verghese has a longstanding interest in improving the organisation and delivery of spinal and orthopaedic care. His current roles include:

• National Clinical Director – Wales Orthopaedic Network (WON)
• Clinical Director – South Wales Spinal Network (SWSN)
• Director – South West Wales Spinal Fellowship

His leadership work includes developing clinical pathways and service standards, specialist spinal and orthopaedic networks, surgical hubs and models of care for both elective and emergency treatment.

Mr Verghese is committed to surgical education and training. As Director of the South West Wales Spinal Fellowship, he is involved in the advanced training of spinal surgeons and regularly teaches surgeons and trainees in contemporary spinal techniques.

He has contributed to the development of the South West Wales regional Spinal Hub at Morriston and is involved in the use and teaching of advanced technologies, including 3D spinal navigation and modern techniques for lumbar reconstruction.

He has published research in peer-reviewed journals, presented at national and international meetings and lectured to professional audiences.

Mr Verghese holds a Master's degree in Trauma Surgery and a BSc (Hons) in Psychology, alongside his medical and specialist surgical qualifications.

Mr Verghese specialises in adult spinal surgery, particularly conditions affecting the cervical and lumbar spine.

His clinical interests include:

• Neck pain
• Lower back pain
• Sciatica
• Lumbar disc prolapse
• Cervical and lumbar spinal stenosis
• Cervical radiculopathy
• Cervical myelopathy
• Spondylolisthesis and spinal instability
• Degenerative spinal conditions
• Recurrent spinal conditions and previous spinal surgery
• Complex and revision spinal surgery
• Adult spinal deformity
• Spinal trauma
• Spinal tumours and metastatic spinal cord compression

Mr Verghese's surgical expertise includes:

• Lumbar microdiscectomy
• Cervical and lumbar spinal decompression
• Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF)
• Cervical disc replacement
• Lumbar spinal fusion
• Anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF)
• Lateral lumbar interbody fusion (XLIF)
• Minimally invasive spinal surgery
• Revision spinal surgery
• Complex spinal reconstruction
• 3D navigation-assisted spinal surgery
• Surgery for selected spinal trauma and tumour conditions

Mr Verghese aims to ensure that patients have a clear understanding of what is causing their symptoms, what their scan findings mean and which treatment options are most appropriate.

He takes a shared decision-making approach, considering non-operative treatment wherever appropriate. For patients who may benefit from surgery, he provides a clear explanation of the potential benefits, limitations and risks.

His aim is not simply to treat an abnormality seen on an MRI or X-ray, but to identify the treatment most appropriate for the individual patient.

Mr Verghese sees private patients at Werndale Hospital in Carmarthenshire, where he assesses and treats patients with neck, back and spinal conditions.