Fast track your treatment
To book an appointment or speak with one of our friendly team, please get in touch using the options below
Geriatric medicine is the treatment and management of medical problems in the over 65s. It is a very broad speciality, encompassing all aspects of health and illness in older people. A doctor who specialises in this field is known as a Consultant Geriatrician.
At Circle Health, we offer specific consultations in geriatric medicine, where highly trained specialists take a holistic view of the multiple and complex complaints and conditions that can arise as we get older.
Whether you are getting in touch about your own treatment, or to arrange a consultation for a parent or elderly loved one, you’ll benefit from our Consultants’ wide experience as well as our commitment to friendly, personalised care.
When you choose Circle Health for your geriatric consultation, you’ll benefit from the wide expertise of our multidisciplinary teams. As well as Consultant Geriatricians, we have specialist Nurses, Occupational Therapists, Radiographers, Pain Management specialists and more, all on hand to help you get the best care possible.
We take a holistic approach to treatment, which takes into account the physical, mental and social impact of any symptoms you’re having, and looks at this in the context of any other issues affecting you and your family members.
We will work closely with your GP, social worker and anyone else involved with your care to ensure you receive the support you need at every stage. Many of our older patients and their families find that having one person overseeing their care is a huge help and can take a weight off their mind during what can be an uncertain and changeable phase of life.
As we get older, health problems become more likely, and we are more inclined to suffer from multiple complaints at once. That’s why it can be helpful to see someone who specialises not in treating one condition, but in treating a specific type of patient.
Modern medicine is usually broken down by speciality. Which is fine when you have one problem. For example, if you have a painful hip, a hip specialist can help you.
However, if you have more than one problem or overlapping problems, how do you know which specialist to see first?
It’s also the case that people of different ages react differently to certain medicines and treatments. What works for a younger person might not be appropriate for someone over 65.
So, if you visit a Consultant Geriatrician, they will be able to assess your overall health, address multiple symptoms at once, and put together a holistic treatment plan bespoke to your individual needs.
If you do need to see a specialist within a certain field of medicine, your Consultant Geriatrician will know the best person for the job and can refer you with ease.
What is the geriatric medicine age range?
Geriatric medicine focuses on people who are 65 and older.
Is a geriatric consultation right for me?
If you are over 65 and have one or more health concerns that you would like help with, a geriatric consultation could help you.
Perhaps you are frustrated with visiting different doctors for different issues. Maybe you’re struggling to get appointments as soon as you would like. Or perhaps you are just looking for treatment with a dedicated specialist.
Alternatively, you may be seeking help on behalf of a parent or elderly relative, and simply don’t know who to see or where to start.
If this sounds like you, it’s time to book a geriatric consultation. We provide expert assessment, diagnosis and management of all manner of conditions and health concerns in older people, and you can usually arrange your first consultation within 48 hours.
Get in touch today and we’ll help you get the support you need. Fast.
Our Consultant Geriatricians help patients with a wide variety of conditions and complaints. Some of the most common problems we see are:
- Memory loss, dementia and acute confusional state (including causes such as Alzheimer’s)
- Urinary tract infections
- Falls (and acute injuries as a result)
- Mobility issues
- Bowel problems
- Parkinson’s and other movement disorders
- Cellulitis
- Headaches and dizziness
- Loss of mobility
- Incontinence
- Anaemia
- Weakness
- Weight loss
- Breathlessness
Our Consultant Geriatricians have close working relationships with various healthcare professionals from across our specialities.
If you need the help of a specialist, they can refer you quickly and easily to a Consultant from a department such as:
- Oncology (cancer)
- Haematology (blood)
- Cardiology (heart and blood vessels)
- Dermatology (skin)
- Neurology (nervous system)
You might also benefit from the help of one of our other expert staff, for example:
Geriatric medicine covers a host of problems, so treatment programmes vary widely. At Circle Health, we take an individualised approach to all of our treatment programmes, so each person’s experience will be unique to them.
Common areas we cover include:
Lifestyle support
Including improving your mobility through physiotherapy, ensuring you are safe and well cared for at home (perhaps with the help of Occupational Therapists), and an assessment of social factors.
Medication
For example painkillers or antibiotics.
Surgical procedures
If your Consultant Geriatrician thinks you will benefit from surgery, for example a joint replacement, they will refer you to a Consultant Surgeon who specialises in that area.
Whatever options our Consultant thinks are best for you, they will always discuss them with you at length beforehand, carefully explaining the benefits as well as the potential risks, and talking you through the alternative options.
The decision of which treatments to go forward with will always be made together, keeping you feeling safe, supported and informed at all times.
From the first moment you come to us to the moment you are discharged, we aim to make the process as speedy, convenient and reassuring as possible for you.
1. Referral
Your journey will start with a referral.
We accept referrals from GPs or health insurance providers. We also see patients who are paying for their own treatment from start to finish, in which case you can refer yourself. You might also be referred by another department at one of our hospitals, for example neurology.
We aim to arrange a private consultation for you within as little as 48 hours from referral or first contact, at a time that is convenient for you.
2. Initial consultation
Your first appointment with your Consultant Geriatrician will last around 30 minutes. They’ll ask you for your medical, family and social history as well as performing a physical examination. This is to help them build a comprehensive understanding of your health and any symptoms you’re experiencing, so that they can offer the best help possible.
This treatment is your opportunity to share your goals and needs, and we encourage you to speak in detail about your symptoms and what you hope to get out of treatment. This is a safe environment and we understand what you’re going through.
It can be useful to bring a partner, friend or loved one with you for support. They can help you to ensure you don’t forget to mention anything important, and make sure you’ve heard everything the Consultant has said.
It may be that you need to have scans or tests in order for your Consultant to make a full diagnosis. For example you might be sent for a mammography, an ultrasound or an X-ray. If so, these can usually be done on-site.
These tests are often done to rule out certain problems and to put your mind at ease. If there are further questions raised by the results, you might need further tests.
Your Consultant will use all the information gathered in this appointment to build a treatment programme that will support your health and your goals as best as we can.
3. Treatment and aftercare
As discussed above, every person’s treatment plan will be bespoke to them. You may be recommended a short-term course of treatment, or it may be that you are given a treatment programme that you’ll need to follow for the long term.
Whatever you and your Consultant decide on, it will be supported by the rest of our hospital team. For example, our Pharmacists can provide any medicines you need, while our Consultant Surgeons are on hand should you need an operation.
For most of our geriatric patients, you’ll also be booked in for one or more follow-up sessions with your Consultant and any other specialists you have worked with, to make sure your treatment and recovery is progressing as planned. In older patients, treatment tends to be an ongoing process rather than a one-off procedure.
Whatever your circumstances, we offer a highly personalised service led by a Consultant who specialises in care of the elderly.
When you choose to go private with Circle Health, you’ll benefit from a network of thousands of expert Consultants across more than 50 hospitals in the UK.
There are many benefits of choosing treatment with us, including:
- Flexible appointment times to suit you, right from your first consultation
- Choose which hospital and which Consultant is right for you
- An expert multidisciplinary team ready to put you first
- Consistency of care, so you’ll see the same friendly faces from start to finish
- Cutting edge diagnostic equipment
- Private en-suite rooms with TV and radio for your comfort should you need to stay with us
- Wheelchair access
- Free parking
- Chaperone facilities available
- Competitive prices, with flexible payment options available
The price of your first appointment with a Consultant Geriatrician will depend on which specialist you see. Each Consultant sets their own fees.
If you use our online booking system, the price for your consultation will be shown before you book.
If you call us direct, our team will let you know what the cost will be before you make the booking.
Our Consultant Geriatricians see people with private medical insurance as well as people who are paying for their own treatment.
