Mr Andrew Carrothers 2018-01-08 Person 5 5 0

I first saw Mr Carrothers at his private clinic on an NHS referral. I had a complex history of non-union fractures; my referring rheumatologist diagnosed osteoporosis and recommended pelvic fixation. Mr Carrothers convinced me that conservative management was best, giving the fractures longer to heal, triaging my bone health more thoroughly, and to proceed with surgery only when he was confident of a favourable outcome. He transferred my care to Addenbrookes for further investigation, and to have his main team support my surgery. I have seen Mr Carrothers for over 2 years, my fracture history is better understood and I am receiving treatment to control the underlying problems, I can then be re-listed for surgery. Mr Carrothers is a true professional: He listened to me, he was not dismissive of my own clinical observations which were not consistent with the initial diagnosis; he addressed all my concerns and if he could not, consulted with specialists who could. He devised a clinical plan which I felt confident would mitigate the risks through better understanding of my fractures. He is clearly highly regarded by the integrated team that I have been seeing, confirming my belief that I am in skilled hands, he is one of the most caring , supportive and courteous surgeons I have ever met. My only suggestions for better care are organisational. Surgeons are reliant on supporting services being available in a timely manner; I waited so long to see an equally competent bone specialist that my underlying problem, which was diagnosed within 2 visits had deteriorated to the extent that I was no longer fit for surgery when it was offered. I was also referred for ultra sound guided injections and assessed for hydrotherapy, both these services were unavailable. My own view is that integrated medicine for more complex cases is getting harder to implement. Only improvements in these areas will help people like Mr Carrothers treat patients more effectively and the only way in which I could have received better care, which was out of his control. These are my views and Mr Carrothers has remained very loyal to his organisation throughout. Mr Carrothers is clearly a knowledgeable and experienced surgeon and his conservative and meticulous approach prior to surgery has almost certainly improved the chances of a good surgical outcome and more effective aftercare. I am so very grateful for his clinical guidance and as a clinical immunologist I am no easy patient to manage. I can suggest no personal improvements save for more theatre time or cloning himself!