Meeting the consultant who will be responsible for your care is a critical part of informed decision-making.
Consultants carry ultimate responsibility for diagnosis, consent, and outcomes. A direct meeting allows you to assess not only technical competence, but also judgement, communication, and trust¹.
This consultation should clarify:
- Whether surgery is truly appropriate for you
- What benefit is realistically achievable
- What risks, limitations, and alternatives exist
- Who will be responsible for follow-up and complication management
A useful question to ask
- “Who will be responsible for my consent, surgery, and follow-up, and how will complications be handled?”
Research consistently links clear, honest clinician–patient communication with fewer complaints and better understanding, even when outcomes are not perfect². Meeting your consultant helps ensure care is personalised and that consent reflects real understanding — not assumptions.
References
- General Medical Council. Decision making and consent. GMC; 2020.
- Levinson W, Roter DL, Mullooly JP, et al. Physician–patient communication: the relationship with malpractice claims. JAMA. 1997;277(7):553–559.
