Methodology

What is a consultant?

A consultant is a senior doctor who has had in-depth training in certain diseases, parts of the body or types of treatment. There are different types of consultant:

• surgical (who carry out operations)
• medical (who treat patients using medicine or therapy)
• technical (who use specialised equipment to find out what's wrong with you)

You can't go directly to a consultant. You will have to go to your GP first. Your GP will then send you to a consultant if you need their particular skills.

Where does the information come from?

All the information in this Guide comes from the hospitals and consultants themselves. Some information was published by the hospitals.

Clinical Excellence Awards

Clinical Excellence Award data is taken from the Department of Health in London.