A new private patients women’s health clinic providing access to a wide range of gynaecology services under one roof is to be launched in the District this month.
The Guy’s and St Thomas’ (GSTT) Specialist Care clinic aims to provide comprehensive health services to its private patients including hysteroscopies, colposcopies, coil insertions and smears, with plans to introduce fertility consultations and obstetric services later this year.
Located in converted space at GSTT Specialist Care’s Wimpole Street Consulting Rooms and Diagnostic Centre alongside its cardiac and respiratory services, the clinic’s two consultation rooms and large procedure room have been open to a handful of trial patients since September last year.
The multi-disciplinary team based at the clinic is led by consultant gynaecologist and subspecialist urogynaecologist Mr Azar Khunda, who started seeing an expanded patient list in January, with a full launch planned later this month (March).
Patients will be able to see a consultant and have any necessary procedures on the same day in the self-contained women’s health unit which has been “designed for comfort and privacy,” according to Hope Alicia, GSTT deputy head of women’s health.
Ms Alicia added the clinic will also offer onsite diagnostics and specialist support on site, and “seamless links” into the full range of GSTT care for any further investigation or surgery needed.
GSTT’s Wimpole Street building is home to a full range of diagnostic scanning facilities, including MRI, CET and PET equipment.
Mr Khunda said the clinic will be staffed by Guy’s and St Thomas’ gynaecology consultants who already work together in the NHS, supported by a dedicated women’s health nursing team (trained by senior GSTT NHS nurses), and immediate access to onsite cardiac, respiratory and advanced imaging services, creating a fully multidisciplinary environment for patients.
“It’s a straightforward replication of the high standard of care we provide in the NHS, now delivered in the private sector,” he said.
“We know we do it well in the NHS and that gives us confidence in our approach. With robust governance, a strong reputation and clinical expertise underpinning everything we do, patients can be assured of excellent care,” he added.
The move comes amid rising demand for private care as waiting lists for non-cancer gynaecology care remain stubbornly high – almost three quarters of a million women (743,312) were waiting for NHS treatment in December last year, just 3% less than 2024, according to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG).
Referrals rose by almost a quarter (24%) from 1.22m in 2019-2020 to 1.61m in the year to October 2024, according to the RCOG.
Ms Alicia said that the clinic will also boost GSTT’s NHS women’s services as “all the income generated from Women’s Health is reinvested directly back into the Trust, so it goes back into supporting our NHS services.
“There’s a much wider impact here and knowing that the work we’re doing – seeing all these patients – means that this income will help improve all of our services and make them even better than they already are,” she added.
