World-renowned for its exceptional healthcare services, London is proving to be hugely attractive for those seeking specialist health services. The city has long stood out in the medical sector in terms of quality and professionalism – a fact that is encouraging a steady flow of international patients.
But it is not just for hospital stays that these patients are coming to London. The city is witnessing a boom in its medical tourism sector as patients arrive from around the globe not only to make the most of London’s unrivalled private medical services, but also to enjoy the sights, sounds and tastes of one of the most famous cities in the world.
This upward trend did not go unnoticed, and since 2016 the Harley Street Medical Area – renowned since the 19th century as a hub for private specialists in medicine and surgery – has been spending many millions of pounds improving existing buildings and erecting new ones, as well as carrying out comprehensive refurbishments. The aim is to attract both new clinics and new medical tourists to the location.
According to research by Paola Putzolu, winner of the 2016 Tourism Management Institute Postgraduate Prize, “medical tourism in the city is able to attract an exclusive market with peculiar characteristics. London is the only medical hub in the world that has the highest concentration of medical professionals in a radius of few miles. This characteristic contributes to its uniqueness and attracts not only the most renowned medical professionals in the world, but also an upper-class market seeking highly specialised and technological medical care. It is essential to reinforce the London brand as a medical tourism hub.”
In part due to increased international competition in the private medical sector, London is working to improve its offering with a range of extensive and diverse packages to suit every patient. New tour companies are providing comprehensive packages that include a broad range of services. These ‘medical concierge’ companies assist international patients in navigating the UK health system and make travel to and around the city as smooth and manageable as possible.
Such companies include London Medical Concierge, which personalise its services to each patient’s needs, from researching and contacting leading experts and consultants to providing the latest information on clinical trials. The services are inclusive, available to everyone from those seeking a second opinion on an oncology diagnosis to acne sufferers seeking an appointment to explore their options.
London Medical Concierge was created by CEO and founder Kirsty Ettrick, who spent countless hours searching for experts, treatments and options when her husband was diagnosed with a complex and aggressive cancer. “I began to realise that guiding people to the right medical expert and treatments was something I was passionate about doing,” she wrote in an article for the Huffington Post. “I set about building a network of experts who were highly regarded in their clinical fields as a ‘backbone’ of a new venture.”
Ettrick says that medical concierge services are often wrongly perceived as a product for the rich and elite, but “when a member of your family or a close friend receives a devastating diagnosis, you need answers, quickly and at an accessible cost, which is something we are now able to provide”.
Today, there is a range of concierge services to choose from. Harley Street Cancer Concierge, for example, aims to make finding the right cancer care simpler, more efficient and less distressing. Many cosmetic surgery practices also now offer VIP concierge services, arranging travel and hotel stays in London, as well as meetings with your surgeon before a procedure and post-surgery visits to your hotel room to monitor the healing process.
